
Glass -^^^16 
Book , A ^ Ar 



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^^17 B 



THE SPELL OF JAPAN 



THE SPELL SERIES 



Each volume v>ith one or more colored plates and 
many illustrations from original drawings or special 
photographs. Octavo, with decorative cover, gilt 
top, boxed. 

Per volume $2.50 net, carriage paid $2.70 



THE SPELL OF ITALY 
Bj^ Caroline cAtwater cTWason 

THE SPELL OF FRANCE 
"By" Caroline cAtwater cTWason 

THE SPELL OF ENGLAND 
By^ Julia de 'W. cAddison 

THE SPELL OF HOLLAND 
Bj^ Burton E. Stevenson 

THE SPELL OF SWITZERLAND 
BjT' Nathan Haskell Dole 

THE SPELL OF THE ITALIAN LAKES 
By^ William D. cTVlcCrackan 

THE SPELL OF TYROL 
Bj^ "William D. cTWcCrackan 

THE SPELL OF JAPAN 
By^ Isabel cAnderson 

THE SPELL OF SPAIN 
Bjr Keith Clark 



THE PAGE COMPANY 

53 BEACON STREET, BOSTON, MASS. 



Court and Gate, Shiha Park, Tokyo 

{See page 60) 




Spell sT 
Japan 



Isabel Anderson 




ILLUSTRATED 




^^f" 



Copyright, 1914> 
By The Page Company 

All rights reserved 



First Impression, July, 1914 



THE COLONIAL PRESS 
C. H. SIMONDS CO., BOSTON, U. S. A. 

AUG 20 1914 ' 

©aA380049 



TO THE MEMORY OF 

MY FATHER 

WHO WAS THE FIRST TO TELL ME OF 
THE LAND OF THE MILLION SWORDS 



JAPANESE PRONUNCIATION 



In general, single vowels have the same sounds as in the 
Continental pronunciation of Latin. The diphthong ai is 
like i in fight; ei hke a in gate; au like ou in bough. The 
consonants are sounded as in EngUsh, except that g is always 
hard and in the middle of a word is like a prolonged and very 
nasal ng; and z before u is the equivalent of dz. When con- 
sonants are doubled, both are distinctly enunciated. Syl- 
lables are pronounced lightly and with nearly uniform accent 
as in French, but vowels marked long are carefully length- 
ened. 



INTRODUCTION 



The term *^ Spell," as applied to a series of 
books treating of various countries seems in- 
stantly to conjure up before the vision the most 
romantic and attractive episodes in their his- 
tory, the most picturesque and fascinating as- 
pects of their geography, the most alluring 
qualities of their inhabitants. Under this 
ample and elastic term, Eomance has been able 
to weave its iridescent glamour, if possible en- 
hancing the charm of the reality, like a delicate 
veil over a mountain view. 

The fortunate authors have been enabled to 
take journeys as it were on Solomon *s magic 
carpet, the aerial vehicle of the Imagination, 
and to depict ideal conditions based neverthe- 
less on solid foundations of Truth. 

Occasionally Fate seems to idealize reality: 
a novelist could hardly conceive a more for- 
tunate setting for a romance than the Court 
of an Oriental Potentate, or find a happier 



viii Introduction 



source of vivid experiences than wonld spring 
from the position of an open-eyed American 
woman suddenly transported to such a scene 
as the wife of an ambassador sent to some ex- 
otic Empire. Fiction in such a case is tran- 
scended by actual fact and there would be no 
need of inventing opportunities of inner ob- 
servation: every door would stand open and 
the country would be revealed in its highest 
perfection. 

In this respect Mrs. Anderson's *^ Spell of 
Japan " differs perhaps from most of its pred- 
ecessors in the series of ** Spell " books. Her 
husband was appointed by President Taft in 
1912 Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister 
Plenipotentiary to the Court of His Majesty 
the Mikado, and the whole time of their sojourn 
in Dai Nippon was filled with experiences sel- 
dom vouchsafed to foreigners. They witnessed 
functions to which they were admitted only 
because of their official position; they were 
granted every facility for seeing aspects of 
Japanese life which ordinary visitors would 
have infallibly missed, and they became ac- 
quainted with the very flower of Japanese civ- 
ilization. 

Mrs. Anderson took copious notes and she 
has utilized these in the preparation of her 



Introduction ix 



most delightful and illuminating volume. It is 
so naturally and unostentatiously written that 
one almost forgets to be amazed at the intimacy 
of the pictures : one enters the Imperial palaces 
and attends Court functions as simply as one 
would go to an afternoon tea at home. Then 
perhaps suddenly comes the realization of what 
a privilege it is to be admitted to see through 
her keenly observant eyes the penetralia so 
jealously hidden from the general throng. 

The book therefore is rightly entitled to 
carry the title of Spell, for it shows Japan at 
its very best; it makes one understand the 
glamour which the courteous manners, the elab- 
orate customs, the harmonious costumes, the 
perfect Art everywhere displayed, cast over 
all those who have been fortunate enough to 
visit the Land of the Eising Sun. 

Mrs. Anderson's book cannot fail to serve as 
a new and important tie of friendship between 
the United States and Japan ; it will be hailed 
as an eminently fair presentation of Japanese 
ideals, and will from its authoritative accu- 
racy and its admirable spirit give great pleas- 
ure to all in the best circles of the Empire and 
serve to do away with many prejudices which 
ignorance has disseminated among our own 
people. It could not have breathed a more 



Introduction 



conciliatory and friendly spirit, and its simple 
and engaging style cannot fail to win golden 
opinions for its talented author. 

Nathan Haskell Dole. 



FOREWORD 



My recent residence in Japan, when we lived 
in the Embassy in Tokyo, has served only to 
enhance the Spell which that country has cast 
over me since I first crossed the Pacific, sixteen 
years ago. What beantiful summer evenings 
were those on the Southern Seas, when the 
moon was full! As we sat in the bow of the 
Doric and sang to the music of the eukalalie,^ 
we gazed into the water glistening with phos- 
phorescence. The mornings found us there 
again, listening to the swish of the waves as 
the boat slowly rose and sank on the long Pa- 
cific swell. We watched the flying-fish, and the 
schools of leaping porpoise, and the tropical 
birds with their long white tail-feathers sailing 
in the blue sky. 

The excitements and interests on the steamer 
were many and varied. On Sunday, while 
Christians were singing hymns, Chinese and 

* Hawaiian guitar. 
xi 



xii Foreword 



Jews gambled at fan-tan, Filipinos and Japan- 
ese wrestled on the steerage deck, and Chinese 
and Hindus knifed each other. Among the pas- 
sengers were missionaries with large families, 
and wayward sons shipped to the East ; in a 
single group we saw an opium smuggler, a card 
sharp, and the ever-present commercial travel- 
ler. 

As we neared Japan a huge turtle floating on 
the smooth surface of the water appeared to 
have come out expressly to greet us and wish 
us long life and happiness, for that is what he 
represents to the Japanese. "We are grateful 
to him, for it is true he was a good omen; we 
were on our honeymoon, and Japan cast its 
Spell about us then and still holds us in its toils, 
for we have returned again, and yet again. 

As Japan consists of ^ve hundred and eight- 
een islands it is often called the Island Empire. 
In the days of mythology and legend it was 
named The Country in the Midst of the Luxu- 
riant Eeed Plains; later it was The Mountain 
Portal, while during the Middle Ages the Chi- 
nese called it The Source of the Sun, or The 
Land of the Rising Sun — Hinomoto. Finally 
it became Nippon Dai Nippon — Great Japan. 
But it has still other names, such as The Land 
of the Gods, The Land of a Million Swords, The 



Foreword xiii 



Land of the Cherry Blossoms, and The Land 
Between Heaven and Earth. 

Notwithstanding the changes of recent years, 
the picturesque and enchanting Old Japan that 
men of letters have written about so delight- 
fully still survives in many ways. The enor- 
mous bronze Buddha at Kamakura sits calmly 
looking down upon us, as always. At Nikko 
the avenue of cryptomerias is still wonderfully 
fine, while the huge blocks of stone in the long 
flights of steps on the wooded mountain-side 
bring up a vision of the armies of coolies who 
placed them there to remain through the ages. 
The bronze tombs are the same, only more beau- 
tifully coloured with age, and the wood-carving 
and lacquers of the glorious old temples have 
been kept bright and new by faithful, loving 
hands. The Inland Sea is just as mysterious 
and ever-changing, while Fuji is worshipped 
to-day as it has been since the beginning of all 
time. 

So much has been written — and well written 
— about Old Japan, that in the language of the 
Japanese, *' The Eustic and Stupid Wife is 
loth to give to the Honourable and Wise Eeader 
these few poor notes.'' It is not so much of 
Old Japan that I will write, however, but rather 
of New Japan, of social and diplomatic life, of 



xiv Foreword 



present-day education, of motor trips, and pol- 
itics, of bear-hunting among the Ainus, and of 
cruising in the Inland Sea. 

Notwithstanding our four visits to Japan, on 
all of which we kept journals, I wish to say that 
I have begged, borrowed or stolen material 
from travelling companions and others; I de- 
sire to acknowledge my special indebtedness to 
Mr. C. J. Arnell, of the American Embassy, who 
kindly contributed the chapter on bear-hunting, 
to Major Gosman, also of the Embassy Staff, 
who gave me notes on motoring, to Mrs. Lucie 
Chandler, who allowed me to use her conclusions 
in regard to education and missionaries, to Miss 
Hyde for the loan of her charming wood-cut, 
and to the Japan Magazine. Much of my in- 
formation, besides, came from my husband's 
journals. I wish also to thank Miss C. Gilman 
and Miss K. Orosby, who have done so much 
to help me in getting this book together. 

I. A. 



Weld, Beookune, 
March First, 
1914. 



CONTENTS 



•*- 



CHAFTBB PAOB 

Introduction vii 

Foreword xi 

I. Outlying Japan . 1 

II. Historic Kyoto 23 

III. First Days at the Embassy .... 40 

IV. Court Functions 64 

V. Life in Tokyo . . . . . . .90 

VI. The Growing Empire 112 

VII. A Year of Festivals 136 

VIII. Cults and Shrines 164 

IX. New Light for Old 188 

X. Prose, Poetry and Plays .... 214 

XI. Amusements 245 

XII. Bear-hunting among the Ainus . , . 274 

XIII. Motoring and Cruising 293 

XIV. Flowers, Indoors and Out .... 326 
XV. The Artist's Japan 350 

XVI. Sayonara Dai Nippon 375 

Bibliography 383 

Index 385 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



PAGH 



Court and Gate, Shiba Paek, Tokyo {in full colour) 

{see page 60) . . . . . . Frontispiece 

MAP OF JAPAN . . . . . . . facing 1 

A Korean Couple 8 

A View of Seoul 10 : 

The American Consulate, Seoul .... 16 

** We passed . . . STRANGELY LADEN HORSES " . .23 

The Tomb of Mutsuhito 25 

The Funeral Cortege 27 

HiDEYOSHi's House and Garden 29 

The American Embassy, Tokyo 42 

Japanese Servants 46 

" Secret " — Wood-cut by Miss Hyde ... 51 

Shiba Park, Tokyo 60 

The coachman and the bet to of the American 

Embassy 65 

The Moats, Imperial Castle, Tokyo ... 67 

The Late Emperor 80 

" Little girls with littler girls on their backs " 

{in full colour) 110 

A Rice Field 130 

Display of Dolls, Dolls' Festival .... 147 

Display of Armour and Toys, Boys' Festival . 153 

Grand Shrine of Ise 167 

Lacquer Work {in full colour) 175 

Eastern Hongwanji Temple, Kyoto .... 177 

The Honden, Iyeyasu, Nikko 180 

xvii 



xviii List of Illustrations 

PAGE 

Off Miyajima 183 

Miss Tsuda's School, Tokyo 195 

Red Cross Hospital Buildings 206 

Armoub and Weapons of Ancient Warriors . . 223 

A Japanese Stage 242 

Geisha Girls at the Ichiriki Tea-house, Kyoto 246 

An Actor of the Present Day 254 

Mr. Arnell and Mr. Arnold in a Japanese Play 260 

A Wrestler 265 

Xhe No Dance 271 

The Hunting Party . 274 

Mr. Arnell and Ainus 286 

Kagos (sedan-chairs) for mountain climbs . . 293 

The Buddha of Kamakura 297 

Fuji from Otome - Toge {in full colour) . . . 302 
" Looked wisely at some presents which we had 

FOR HIM " 306 

The wonderful avenue of cryptomerias . . 310 

Lake Biwa 314 

Ama - no - Hashidate 316 

Ancient Temple near Nara 318 

A View of Matsushima 320 

Japanese Junks 322 

The Great Torii 323 ■ 

A Japanese Flower Man {in full colour) . . 330 
Ike -BAN A OR Flower Arrangement . . . 336 
" The table decorations . . . are especially in- 
teresting " 339 

A Japanese Garden, Tokyo {in full colour) . . 342 

A Carved Panel 353 

The Castle of Himeji . 355 

View of Mount Fujiyama — Print by Hokusai . 364 

The Little Apes of Nikko 379 



THE 

SPELL OF JAPAN 




CHAPTEE I 

OUTLYING JAPAN 

JUR last sight of Brussels, when we left 
it in early December, was a row of 
people, among whom was the Japan- 
ese Minister, waving good-bye to us 
at the Gare du Nord. 

We were starting for the Far East, for my 
husband had been transferred from his post in 
Belgium to that of Ambassador to Japan. 
This promotion was very pleasing to us, for 
Eastern questions were vital, we liked the 
Japanese people, and no country could have 
been more interesting to us than the Land of 
the Cherry Blossoms. It was our fourth visit 
to the Orient, and, strange though it may seem, 
when we reached Korea, the '^ jumping-off 
place," we said to ourselves that we began to 
feel at home. 

1 



The Spell of Japan 



A quick run across Germany and Eussia 
brought us to Moscow, where the great Chinese 
walls reminded us that we had reached an out- 
post of the Occident, a city which had once been 
occupied by the Mongols. When the Siberian 
Express pulled out of the station, we felt that 
we had really said farewell to Europe and our 
faces were turned toward the East. We crossed 
the vast plains of eastern Eussia and western 
Siberia — monotonous expanses of white, only 
relieved by the Ural Mountains, which at the 
southern extremity of the range, where the 
railroad passes over them, are not really moun- 
tains at all, but hills. 

Beyond the Obi Eiver we rose from the level 
steppe to the foot-hills of the Altai Mountains, 
a forest region interspersed with open stretches 
of good farming land — a country so much like 
our own West that it is sometimes called ^ ^ the 
new America." We passed immigrant trains 
filled with Eussian peasants, and the old road 
over which the exiles used to march before the 
railroad was built, and saw cars with barred 
windows, like those of prisons, in which con- 
victs are transported. 

The thermometer went down, down, as far as 
forty degrees below zero, but the cars on the 
Trans-Siberian were kept as warm as the 



Outlying Japan 



tropics. The drifts grew deeper, and there 
were days and nights of endless snow. In the 
hilly country around Lake Baikal we saw some 
fine scenery. Low hills and high cliffs covered 
with larches border its eastern and western 
shores, but to the southward, a huge mountain 
wall, lofty and snow-clad as our Californian 
Sierras, closes in around the lake. 

In comparison with our fast American 
trains this '' express " moved so slowly that 
we feared we should be old, grey-haired men 
and women before reaching the end of the jour- 
ney. It was a welcome sight when Kharbin at 
last appeared, and we knew we were nearing 
Manchuria. Most Siberian towns that we had 
seen consisted of low wooden buildings, but 
Kharbin contains many substantial brick struc- 
tures. 

It is supposed to be nine days from Moscow 
to Kharbin, and fourteen days from London to 
Tokyo direct, via Vladivostok. We were eight- 
een days from Brussels to Kyoto, but we 
stopped off at Seoul. Our route was through 
Korea, which, as everybody knows, is now a 
Japanese colony, because my husband wished 
to see it on his way to his new post. Passen- 
gers for Vladivostok left the train at Kharbin, 
but we were to continue on southward toward 



The Spell of Japan 



Ohangchun, where we expected to find Osame 
Komori, a Japanese whom we had known for 
many years, and who was to be my husband's 
interpreter. 

We had already received the following letter 
from Osame: 

'' Deae Excellency: 

* ' My honourable sir, allow me the 
liberty presenting you this letter. I 
meet you Changchun. My gratitude is 
higher than Fuji and sacred as the 
Temple of Ise. Your kindness to me. 
is as deep as the Pacific Ocean. Your 
letter was like sunshine in my life, your 
news gave me the life from death. . . . 
I am total wreck by fire. We had 
storms lately turning the beautiful 
Fuji like silver capped mountain, but 
grain still presents carpets of red and 
yellow. About gold lacquer you write. 
I made several enquiry when it will be 
accomplished. I kick Y. urgently to 
finish it. . . . My baby has grown well 
and often repeat the honour of your 
last visit. 

'' Best wishes I remain, 

" Your Faithful Seevant." 



Outlying Japan 



Osame was better than his word, for he met 
us at Kharbin instead of Changchun, bringing 
with him supplies of various sorts, which he 
thought might be acceptable. 

After leaving Kharbin we passed through 
Manchuria, a flat and low-rolling country, in 
places somewhat roughened, where streams 
have cut their way. The black earth is care- 
fully cultivated as far as the eye can see, and 
at this season it was all in furrow. Little 
primitive carts with shaggy ponies crossed the 
landscape, laden with bags of the bean which 
is the great product of this section. Every 
now and then we passed small fortified guard- 
houses of stone and brick, with the sentry at 
his post, for protection against the brig- 
ands who sweep down from the mountains 
and try to carry off even parts of the rail- 
way. 

At Changchun we were assured that the 
Japanese Government wished us to be its 
guests, and we found compartments reserved 
for us on the Pullman train. From this point 
we were escorted by Japanese officials, who 
were sent to meet us and give us all the infor- 
mation we could ask about the country. They 
told us with bows that the train would be run 
on a faster schedule than usual in our honour, 



6 The Spell of Japan 

and sure enough, we soon were speeding over 
the excellent road-bed at a good rate. 

As we went on, the snow began to disappear, 
and the sharp mountains of Korea came in 
sight, with little villages tucked away in the 
ravines. For Chosen, the Land of Morning 
Calm, as it is always called in Japan, is a coun- 
try of mountains. Granite peaks, deep gorges 
and fertile valleys are everywhere in the inte- 
rior, and the rugged, irregular eastern coast- 
line, of which we had a glimpse in crossing to 
Japan, winds in and out around the base of the 
ranges. Among the hills and groves that we 
passed were the mounds of buried ancestors. 
We were much impressed by the sturdy, well 
set-up appearance of the Japanese soldiers 
along the route, and the military bearing of 
their officers. 

Here live the bear and deer, and the long- 
haired Korean tiger, so well-known to sports- 
men. Foreign sportsmen are free to hunt 
among these hills wherever they will and they 
find it a strange sensation to watch for tigers 
on ridges from which they can look down on 
the thatched roofs of small villages, or to hear 
at night from their tent in the village the cough 
of the tiger seeking his prey on the hills. The 
wild pigs and hog deer, startled by this cough, 



Outlying Japan 



flee in blind terror, and are seized by the tiger 
as they dash past him. In every village a horn- 
blower is on the watch at night, and when he 
sounds his horn, all the people beat their 
tiger alarms of tin pans to drive the animal 
away. 

The Korean peasants eat the meat and drink 
the blood of a slain tiger in the belief that this 
will render them brave and strong. They 
make an all-powerful medicine from the long 
white whiskers, and use the tiny collar-bones 
as charms to protect them from any devils they 
chance to meet. 

Although it was winter, both men and women 
were dressed in white cotton, which looked 
rather startling after the dark costumes of the 
Chinese and the fur coats of the Russians. 
White used to be the badge of mourning in 
Korea, but now it is the national costume. Va- 
rious stories are told to account for its adop- 
tion. According to one of these, in the early 
part of the nineteenth century three kings died 
in close succession, and as every one was 
obliged to wear mourning for three years after 
the death of a ruler, at the end of this period 
all the dyers had become discouraged and given 
up their business, and so white became the dress 
of the people. Now, when the men are in real 



8 The Spell of Japan 

mourning, they wear huge straw hats, and do 
not think it proper to speak. 

Although white is still the national costume, 
the Emperor, some years ago, published an 
edict giving his subjects permission to wear 
other colours. The nobles wear a number of 
coats of the finest cream-coloured silk lawn, 
over which there may be an outer garment of 
blue. The white garments impose a needless 
burden upon the women of the lower classes, 
who are incessantly engaged in laundry work. 
The coats are ripped to pieces and washed in 
some stream, where they are pounded on stones, 
then after they are dry are placed on wooden 
cylinders and beaten with sticks until the white 
cotton has taken on the sheen of dull satin. 

Korean men wear curious little open-work 
hats of black horsehair, which make them look 
very tall and slight and give them a dudish 
appearance. They present an especially funny 
picture when riding a bullock. The women, on 
the contrary, are wound about in white cotton 
to such an extent that they look rather Turkish, 
and they waddle as if bow-legged. Many of 
them are comical in green silk coats, with which 
they cover their heads without putting their 
arms into the sleeves. They were allowed to 
wear these garments as a badge of honour for 




A KOREAN COUPLE. 



Outlying Japan 



their bravery in battle, or, as some say, that 
they might be ready at a moment's notice to 
change them into soldiers' coats. 

It is said that the broad-brimmed hat some- 
times worn by the men originated, several cen- 
turies ago, in the efforts of one of the emperors 
to put a stop to drunkenness. He decreed that 
all the men should have a light earthen-ware 
hat of the shape worn to-day, which was never 
to be taken off, except when they were lying 
down. The head was protected against the hard 
surface of this covering by a light padded cap 
beneath. As the rooms of Korean houses are 
small, not more than four men could be seated 
in one, if they had this peculiar headgear. 
When any one was found to have a broken hat, 
it was taken for granted that he had been in 
some drunken brawl, and he received the pre- 
scribed punishment. 

On our arrival in Seoul, we were met by 
Japanese officials, and were also greeted by 
our Consul-General, Mr. Scidmore. 

Seoul is charmingly situated in a valley sur- 
rounded by beautiful white-capped mountains, 
over which wanders the high wall that encloses 
the city. The old entrance gates are massive 
structures — great foundations of stone with 
arches cut through them, on which rise the 



10 The Spell of Japan 

double recurving roofs of tile. The old town 
with its narrow alleys and its filth has well- 
nigh disappeared. Under Japanese adminis- 
tration, the gates are no longer closed at night, 
for there is police protection, and parts of the 
city are lighted by electricity. The new streets 
are wide, clean and well drained. Although 
Korea is called the Hermit Kingdom, and said 
to be many years behind Japan, there are tele- 
graph lines, electric cars, bicycles, even one or 
two motors, brick houses and a Eailway Sta- 
tion Hotel. The Japanese portion of the town 
was gay with flags flying from bamboo staffs, 
in honour of the approaching New Year, and 
red and white lanterns swung along the ridge- 
poles. 

One peculiarity of Korean houses strikes a 
Westerner as very strange. As their walls and 
floors are of stone or brick, it is possible to heat 
them in the same manner as the Chinese hangy 
that is, by fires built below. So, many of them 
are warmed in this way, the wood being put in 
from the outside through an opening in the wall 
of the house, and the smoke escaping through 
a chimney on the opposite side. A network of 
pipes under the floors carries the hot air to 
every part of the building. 

We visited the old palace where the de- 



Outlying Japan 11 

throned Emperor and Empress used to live. 
It is rather Chinese in appearance, but not 
quite so handsome as the palace in Peking, 
which we had seen previously. The approach 
to it is by a broad way lined on each side with 
low, tile-roofed houses; this leads to the great 
Mon, the entrance gate, with double overhang- 
ing roofs towering above it. Inside this is a 
great court, next another massive gateway with 
two-storied upturned roofs, then another court- 
yard, around which are low houses, and a third 
gate, leading into the last court, which is ap- 
proached by terraced steps of stone. Finally 
appears the audience hall, a building with re- 
curving roofs of tile, beautiful carvings, and 
brilliant decorations in colour. Passages and 
courts lead from this to the pleasure pavilion, 
a large, open, two-storied structure with a 
heavy pagoda roof, which stands on a stone 
terrace, and is reached by three bridges with 
stone balustrading. Beside it is a tank where 
lotus grows, and near-by a park-like grove of 
quaint pine-trees. 

In this palace, several years ago. Empress 
Bin of Korea was assassinated while asleep. 
The Emperor, however, dressed as a coolie, es- 
caped to the Russian Legation, where he lived 
for two years. ; He afterward built himself a 



12 The Spell of Japan 

new palace in European style, where he resides 
now as a sort of prisoner, while his son lives 
in another palace, and the grandson is being 
educated in Japan. The Emperor is now known 
as Prince Yi the Elder, and his son as Prince 
Yi the Younger, while his grandson, who also 
bears the same name, is the last of the Yi 
dynasty, which has ruled Korea for five hun- 
dred years. 

As we all know, Korea was involved in the 
two terrible wars that have been waged in the 
Far East in recent years. Japan needs Korea 
as an outlet for her surplus population, as a 
source of food supply and a market for her 
manufactured products, but still more does she 
need it as a strong country to stand between 
herself and Eussian aggression. In the last 
decade of the nineteenth century the Hermit 
Kingdom was still under the suzerainty of 
China, and its government was weak and hope- 
lessly corrupt. Japan refused to acknowledge 
this overlordship of China, and insisted that 
the Korean government must be reformed. 
China was asked to help in enforcing the 
changes, but refused to interfere. Neither 
China nor Japan would yield. 

Finally the Koreans sent for Chinese troops, 
and then the Japanese attacked the Emperor's 



Outlying Japan 13 

palace. A great naval battle was fought at the 
mouth of the Yalu River, in which the Chinese 
were defeated and ^ve of their ships sunk. The 
Japanese army took Dalny and Port Arthur. 
Another naval battle ended in the surrender of 
the Chinese fleet and the suicide of the Chinese 
admiral. Togo and Yamagata, whom I once had 
the pleasure of meeting at a luncheon in Tokyo, 
and Nogi, were among the heroes of this war. 
By the treaty of Shimonoseki, in 1895, China 
agreed to pay an indemnity to Japan and to 
recognize the independence of Korea, and also 
ceded the Liaotung Peninsula with Port Ar- 
thur, and the islands of Formosa and the 
Pescadores group to Japan. No sooner was 
this treaty signed, however, than the Great 
Powers compelled Japan to restore Liaotung 
to China. 

But within a few years, Russia obtained a 
lease of Liaotung, and the Powers made no 
protest. She soon invested immense sums in 
Manchuria — in building the Manchurian Rail- 
road, in fortifying Port Arthur and making it 
a naval base, and extending the Chinese East- 
ern Railroad toward the Yalu and Korea. She 
made Kharbin her military base and filled 
Manchuria with soldiers. 

Japan saw the necessity of protecting not 



14 The Spell of Japan 

only her freedom of trade, but her very exist- 
ence as a nation, for Eussia, from her vantage 
ground in Manchuria, had begun to take pos- 
session of the valley of the Yalu River, on 
Korea's northwestern frontier. Once this sec- 
tion was in her power it would be an easy 
matter to sweep down through the peninsula 
and across the narrow Straits of Shimonoseki 
to the Island Empire itself. 

In vain did Japan try to open up negotiations 
with Russia. On one excuse or another, she 
was put off for months, while all the time Rus- 
sia was preparing for war. Finally diplomatic 
relations were severed by order of Baron Ko- 
mura, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, 
and war was declared February 10, 1904. 
Baron Kaneko, in an address before the Japan 
Club of Harvard University, in April of that 
year, said that Japan was fighting to maintain 
the peace of Asia and to conserve the influence 
of Anglo-American civilization in the East. 

After Admiral Togo had destroyed the Rus- 
sian fleet, and the long siege of Port Arthur 
had ended in its surrender to the heroic Nogi, 
all the Japanese armies combined for the final 
struggle around Mukden, which terminated in 
the flight of the Russians from Manchuria. 
The treaty of peace, which was signed at Ports- 



Outlying Japan 15 

mouth, New Hampshire, gave Japan Port Ar- 
thur, a protectorate over Korea, and half the 
island of Saghalien, and provided that both 
nations should evacuate Manchuria. The pro- 
tectorate over Korea has since become a sov- 
ereignty. 

The Japanese Grovernor-Greneral, Count Te- 
rauchi, is a very strong and able man, and 
under his administration many improvements 
have been made in Korea. This has not always 
been done without friction between the natives 
and their conquerors, it must be confessed, but 
the results are certainly astonishing. The 
government has been reorganized, courts have 
been established, the laws have been revised, 
trade conditions have been improved and com- 
merce has increased. Agriculture has been en- 
couraged by the opening of experiment sta- 
tions, railroads have been constructed from the 
interior to the sea-coast, and harbours have 
been dredged and lighthouses erected. Japan- 
ese expenditures in Korea have amounted to 
twelve million dollars yearly. 

The Governor-General gave us a dinner at 
his residence, a big European house, where 
everything was done in European style. The 
four Japanese ladies who received, however, 
were all in native costume — black kimonos. 



16 The Spell of Japan 

which they wear for ceremony only, and superb 
gold ohis, or sashes. One of them was the 
Governor's daughter, Countess Kodama, who 
was very beautiful. I went in to dinner with 
the Governor- General, and had on the other 
side a Japanese doctor of the Eed Cross, who 
had been much in America and was well ac- 
quainted with Miss Boardman, the head of our 
Eed Cross here. 

Our delightful luncheon at the Consulate 
must not be forgotten, for no more charming 
people could be found anywhere than the Scid- 
mores. Miss Scidmore is the author of ^^ Jin- 
rikisha Days," as well as other books on the 
East. The remarkably pretty Consulate, 
which is owned by our Government, is an old 
Korean house, or yamen, built in a walled com- 
pound on the slope of a hill. Having only one 
story, it presented more the appearance of a 
studio than of a residence, but was made cozy 
with open fires and attractive with many beau- 
tiful curios. 

The religions of Korea are Buddhism, Con- 
fucianism and Shamanism, all found there to- 
day. Shamanism is the form of worship of 
the more primitive masses. There are many 
Buddhist temples in Chosen, For instance, 
among the peaks of Keum-Kang-San alone, in 



Outlying Japan 17 

the heart of the Korean mountains, there are 
over fifty monasteries and shrines, but all more 
or less in a state of decay. Christianity was 
brought into the country by the Roman Cath- 
olics in 1777. 

The American colony in Seoul numbers about 
five hundred, among them being many Method- 
ist and Presbyterian missionaries. In regard 
to the recent troubles between these mission- 
aries and the Japanese the accounts differ. The 
Governor was attacked by some Koreans, and, 
of course, ordered an investigation and the trial 
of those accused. Some of the Koreans as- 
serted that they were tortured by the Japanese 
during their imprisonment, but in most cases 
this was proved untrue. The missionaries, hav- 
ing been the advisers of the natives in all kinds 
of ways, should not be too harshly judged for 
taking the part of those whom they believed 
innocent. 

The results of mission work in Chosen are 
certainly very striking. I was told by an un- 
prejudiced observer that the largest congrega- 
tions she ever saw were in Seoul, and she was 
assured that, farther north, the numbers drawn 
into the churches were still greater. Even if 
we admit that some of these converts were won 
over by the hope of material gain, we cannot 



18 The Spell of Japan 

fail to see that all this work has had a human- 
izing effect, which is especially needed in this 
country. 

Some of the best work of the missions is done 
in schools and hospitals — especially in hospi- 
tals. Hygienic conditions among natives not in 
contact with foreigners are frightful, and their 
ideas of medicine and surgery are most primi- 
tive. From mere ignorant attempts to aid 
alone there is tremendous physical suffering. 
The foreign hospitals have now won the confi- 
dence of the people, so that in the end they 
always make application there. 

When we left Seoul, many Japanese officials 
were at the station in the early morning to say 
good-bye, among them being General Akashi, 
Count Kodama, and others. At every town of 
any importance, during our journey south, the 
mayor, the chief of police, reporters and hotel- 
keepers came to the train, presented their 
cards, and exchanged pleasant remarks with 
my husband. We were surprised to see how 
many of them spoke English. 

Southern Korea is quite beautiful, with fine 
snow mountains and cultivated terraces, where 
rice is raised by irrigation. The red soil is 
very fertile, but the mountains are bare of 
trees, the Koreans having cut down the forests. 



Outlying Japan 19 

As the Japanese have made good forest laws, 
however, the trees will now be allowed to grow 
again. The whole trip through Korea was 
beautiful and most interesting, and in the south 
particularly we noticed that numbers of Japan- 
ese immigrants were settling in the country. 

The colonial possessions of Japan include 
not only Korea, but part of Saghalien, For- 
mosa and one or two groups of islands in the 
north. It was to Saghalien that the most des- 
perate of Bussian convicts were sent for many 
years. The southern half was ceded to 
Japan after the Eusso-Japanese War. It 
has proved quite a valuable asset, inasmuch 
as it contains extensive forests of pines, larches 
and other trees of sub-Arctic regions, is noted 
for its fisheries, and abounds in sables, the 
fur of which is shipped to Japan. These last 
are perhaps not so fine as the best Russian 
sables, but they are of good quality, neverthe- 
less. 

Formosa, which I had seen on a previous 
visit to the East, lies to the southward, otf the 
coast of China. About one half as large as Ire- 
land, it consists in the west of a narrow, fertile 
plain, and in the centre and east of mountains, 
which descend to the coast in sheer precipices 
over three thousand feet high. Mt. Morrison, 



20 The Spell of Japan 

the loftiest peak on the island, is higher than 
Fuji, and has been renamed by the Japanese 
Nii-taka-yama, the New High Mountain. The 
ascent of Mt. Morrison discloses all the variety 
and luxuriance of vegetation seen nowhere ex- 
cept on a peak in the tropics. At the lower 
levels are palms, banyans, huge camphor trees, 
tree-ferns and rare orchids, and impenetrable 
growths of rattans; higher up are cryptome- 
rias — giant cedars; still higher, pine-trees; 
and alternate tracts of forest and areas of 
grass land extend to the very top. 

The word formosa, which means beautiful, 
was given to the island by the first Portuguese 
navigators who sailed along its coast. It is 
indeed one of the loveliest islands of the Far 
East. In the late afternoon, the day we passed 
by, the sky was a hazy grey and the island a 
delicate mauve. The sun disappeared behind 
the peaks, and the heavens became a glowing 
red, transforming the mountains into dark, fla- 
ming volcanoes. As darkness came on, the heat 
was so great that we slept on deck. The beau- 
tiful Southern Cross gleamed above the hori- 
zon, and the glory of the sunset gave place to 
the wonderful, mystic charm of a tropical night. 

After having been occupied by China for 
over two centuries, Formosa was ceded to 



Outlying Japan 21 

Japan in 1895. Here, as in Korea, Japanese 
administration has introduced great changes, 
and it is difficult to realize that railways and 
electric lights are to be found in this remote 
part of the earth. In return Formosa supplies 
Japan with rice, tea and sugar. It also pro- 
duces nearly all the camphor used in the 
world. 

The Chinese, during their possession of the 
island, inhabited only the western section, and 
had no power whatever over the wild Malays 
of the eastern half. These savages are head- 
hunters, and are difficult to handle, because 
they enjoy above everything else that most ter- 
rible and exciting game in the world, the game 
of taking another man's head. They dance 
war dances, and keep the skulls of their slain 
enemies as drinking-cups, from which they 
drink wine made from the brains of their vic- 
tims. The Japanese have devised an ingenious 
scheme for keeping the head-hunters under 
control and conquering them. They have en- 
circled the mountain peaks with a live electric 
wire, and have stationed guards at intervals 
along the line. The natives have learned the 
danger of this. Now the Japanese are gradu- 
ally moving the wire higher and higher, so 
eventually they will have the savages pocketed, 



22 The Spell of Japan 

and will subdue them by starvation or other- 
wise. 

After our brief stay in Seoul we bade fare- 
well to the Colonies and turned our faces 
toward the Land of the Eising Sun itself, ma- 
king the crossing from Chosen to Shimonoseki 
in a single night. This is far pleasanter than 
the passage from Vladivostok, which requires 
several days. In order to attract travellers, 
the Japanese have put their best cars and boats 
on this route. Our last glimpse of the Hermit 
Kingdom was a picture of jagged peaks rising 
in lofty precipices from a moonlit sea, their 
black masses outlined in solemn grandeur 
against the heavens. 



22 The Spell of Japan 

and will subdue them by starvation or other- 
wise. 

After our brief stay in Seoul we bade fare- 
well to the Colonies and turned our faces 
toward the Land of the Rising Sun itself, ma- 
king the crossing from Chosen to Shimonoseki 
in a single night. This is far pleasanter than 
the passage from Vladivostok, which requires 
several days. In order to attract travellers, 
the Japanese have put their best cars and boats 
on this route. Our last glimpse of the Hermit 
Kingdom was a picture of jagged peaks rising 
in lofty precipices from a moonlit sea, their 
black masses outlined in solemn grandeur 
against the heavens. 




CHAPTEE II 

HISTORIC KYOTO 

T was a day's journey in the train 
from the coast to Kyoto. We ran 
through stretches of glistening 
paddy-fields, with their patches of 
bright green crops and rows of yellow straw- 
stacks, and then through long villages of tiny 
thatch-roofed houses, or by avenues of twisted 
pine-trees. We passed bullock carts and 
strangely laden horses, and people clip-clip- 
ping along on their wooden clogs, and arrived 
finally, late on Christmas Eve, at Kyoto, the 
ancient capital. 

To our delight and surprise, we found that 
the thoughtful hotel proprietor had arranged 
a pretty Christmas tree in our parlour. So 
we had supper and exchanged gifts, although 
the hour was late, and felt that in spite of be- 
ing so far from home we were having a real 
Christmas after all. 

We stopped in Kyoto for the especial pur- 
pose of making a pilgrimage to the burial place 

23 



24 The Spell of Japan 

of the late Emperor Mutsuhito, now known as 
Meiji Tenno. The emperors take their pos- 
thumous name from the name of their era ; the 
present Emperor has chosen to call his era 
Tai-Sho, for instance, which means Great Right- 
eousness. As L. wished to pay his respects, 
it was arranged that we should visit Momo- 
yama, where the late Emperor is buried. 

As all diplomats are obliged to wear Court 
mourning, we put on our deepest black — I 
had a crepe veil and bonnet which I had been 
wearing for the mother of the King of Belgium. 
We went in a motor. The roads were excellent, 
and the people made way for us, so that we ran 
with speed and comfort, even through the nar- 
row streets of the continuous village with their 
congested traffic. 

The place chosen for the tomb of Mutsuhito 
is on a hill beyond Kyoto where there is a fine 
outlook which the late Emperor greatly loved. 
As we- drew near, constabulary, who were ap- 
parently waiting for us, directed and stopped 
the traffic, so that we soon reached the broad 
new highway which had been made for the 
funeral. It is a wide gravel road winding 
around the base of the mountain to the low- 
lying buildings about the tomb. These are of 
the simplest style. Indeed, the entire burial 



Historic Kyoto 25 

place and shrine are in the Shinto fashion, very- 
plain in form and arrangement. 

,We were met by the Honourable Chief 
Keeper of the Tomb, a Japanese gentleman in 
a frock coat and top hat who conducted us into 
a pavilion at one side, where seats were placed 
at the head of a table. Here we sat for a few 
moments, and then, preceded by the Keeper, 
passed into the wide gravelled courtyard sur- 
rounded by houses and walls of plain wood. 
There are two '' wash-hand '^ places at one 
side, between which a path leads to steps that 
ascend from the court toward the burial place. 
People are admitted to this courtyard, and at 
times over a hundred thousand have come in 
a single day to worship the memory of the late 
Mikado. Princes and ambassadors may go be- 
yond this space, however, so we bowed and 
passed up another gravelled way to the Memo- 
rial Temple, in its simple Shinto style. Imme- 
diately above this, higher up on the hill, is the 
temple beneath which the Emperor's body is 
buried. 

At one side of the Memorial Temple, in a 
small pavilion, three figures were squatting, 
immobile and expressionless. These were no- 
blemen, dressed in ancient fashion. Here we 
found a mat on which we knelt for a while, then 



26 The Spell of Japan 

rose and bowed again toward the tomb, and 
then toward the figures in the pavilion, who 
bowed in return. After that we passed out as 
we had come. 

It had really been a most impressive cere- 
monial, although so simple. As we had been 
received by his late Majesty in audience and 
at luncheon, there was something personal as 
well as official in the respect which we had tried 
to show by our pilgrimage. Afterward we 
heard that it had been greatly appreciated by 
the Japanese officials and people, who consider 
their Imperial family almost divine. 

The funeral of the Emperor occurred several 
months before our arrival in Japan. From all 
accounts it must have been a very wonder of 
wonders. Special ambassadors came from 
every country as guests of the Japanese Gov- 
ernment, and fine houses were put at their dis- 
posal. Mr. Knox, our Secretary of State, was 
conveyed from the United States in a man-of- 
war. Great pavilions in Shinto style were 
erected in Tokyo to accommodate the distin- 
guished guests during the evening of the pro- 
cession, and feasts were provided for them. 

As it had been so long since an Emperor had 
died, special Shinto services had to be ar- 
ranged. The funeral was at night. The music 



Historic Kyoto 27 

was very weird and sad, and the wheels of the 
funeral car, which was drawn by oxen, were 
made to creak as they ran along, as if writhing 
and crying in agony for the loss of the Great 
Emperor they were bearing to his resting-place. 

High officials, officers, and priests, in old cere- 
monial costumes or modern uniforms, were in 
the procession, and the brightly decorated ave- 
nue, lined with soldiers and crowded with on- 
lookers, made a weird picture in the flashing 
lights — one never to be forgotten, I should 
imagine, by those who were fortunate enough 
to witness it. After passing in this fashion 
through the streets of Tokyo the body was put 
on the train and conveyed to Kyoto, where the 
procession was resumed to the tomb. 

Of its reception in Kyoto, Terry, author of 
*' The Japanese Empire," says: ^* To the dis- 
tant crashing and the reverberating roar of 
minute-guns; the wailing of bugles and the 
booming of gigantic temple bells ; to the sound 
of the wild minstrelsy of priests and bonzes, 
the pattering of a weeping, drenching rain and 
the sighing of a vast concourse of mourning 
people . . . the mortal remains of Mutsuhito 
. . . were laid tenderly in their last resting 
place. ' ' 

A poem written by the late Emperor and 



28 The SpeU of Japan 

translated by Dr. Bryan has recently been pub- 
lished. It is called " My People,'' and although 
so short is rather impressive. 

** Whether it rain or shine, 
I have only one care: 
The burden of this heart of mine 
Is how my people farel " 

Kyoto, sometimes called Saikyo, was the an- 
cient capital, where the shoguns and mikados 
used to reside in the early days. It is a city 
of temples, where nothing under three hundred 
years is counted old, and although typically 
Japanese it seems somehow different from 
other cities. The tiny houses and narrow 
streets appear tinier and narrower here than 
elsewhere. 

The hills to the east of the city are covered 
with old shrines and buildings, and the woods 
are full of temples, too. In the Chionin Tem- 
ple, founded some seven hundred years ago, 
may be seen an umbrella left among the rafters 
of the roof by the master-builder during its 
erection. Tradition insists that it flew thither 
out of the hands of a boy whose shape had been 
assumed by the guardian deity of the temple, 
but the other explanation, while less romantic, 
seems more probable. Near this temple, on a 



Historic Kyoto 29 

small elevation among the trees, stands the 
Great Bell, the largest in the country. Not far 
away are many other interesting things, among 
them the Dai Butsn — the Great Buddha. 
There are also some sacred springs, a curi- 
ous temple on stilts, and innumerable lanterns. 
The two most important temples are the 
Eastern and the Western Hongwanji, which 
belong to the most powerful Buddhist sect. 
We went through the latter, which had some 
excellent paintings. The garden and houses 
belonging to this temple, which are six hun- 
dred years old, were built by Hideyoshi, the 
famous ^* clever boy,'' who from nothing at all 
became shogun. The Eastern temple is de- 
scribed in the chapter dealing with religions. 

The approach to the Gosho Palace, once the 
abode of the mikado s, is not very attractive, 
leading through a bare, flat park. Our interest 
was soon aroused, however, by the sight of one 
of the six gates of the palace, through which 
we drove, following the grey wall with its 
stripes of white and its tiles showing the six- 
teen-petalled chrysanthemums — both emblems 
of royalty. Another gate, perhaps a little 
smaller than the first, brought us to the imme- 
diate entrance. The building is comparatively 
new, the old palace having been destroyed by 



30 The Spell of Japan 

fire in 1854, but it is very large, covering an 
area of twenty-six acres. 

Two officials greeted us at the inner gate, 
and, after politely asking us to remove our 
shoes, conducted us down the long, narrow cor- 
ridor to what were probably waiting-rooms. 
There were three of these, decorated in sepia. 
From here we were led through another cor- 
ridor, past the room with a dais at one end for 
the higher nobility, where the courtiers used 
to dine off the flat, red lacquer tables, to the 
Seiryoden — the Pure and Cool Hall — a room 
used for religious festivals, with marvellously 
coloured birds painted upon its walls. This 
hall received its name from a small stream of 
clear water which runs through a sluiceway 
near-by. Opening from this is a courtyard in 
which grow two clumps of bamboo, named cen- 
turies ago for the two ancient Chinese king- 
doms, Kan and Go — Kan-chiku and Go-chiku. 

To the right of the Seiryoden is a room which 
is reserved for special audiences, called Shi- 
shinden, or Mysterious Purple Hall. In the 
centre of this is a platform on which stands the 
throne, a great chair inlaid with mother-of- 
pearl. It is covered by a canopy of pale fawn- 
coloured brocade with outer drapings of red 
and purple, and is guarded by the two sacred 



Historic Kyoto 31 

dogs. The walls of this room are painted in 
panels representing Chinese sages, the panels 
being copies of the originals, which were 
painted in 888 a. d. and afterward destroyed 
by fire. Leading from the courtyard into the 
hall is a flight of fifteen steps, corresponding 
in number to the grades into which officials of 
government were divided. The higher order 
stood on the upper step, and so on down to 
those who were obliged to stand in the court. 
On one side of the steps is a wild orange tree 
named Ukon-No-Tachibana, and on the other 
a cherry tree, Sakon-No-Sakura. 

From this hall we passed through more gal- 
leries, and through one particularly beautiful 
chamber with decorations of wild geese in sepia. 
At the end of a corridor, making a turn to the 
left, we came to some more waiting-rooms, 
decorated in blue and white — the most 
heavenly blue, surely pieces of the sky brought 
down from the kingdom of the gods by the first 
illustrious ruler ! Here tea and cigarettes were 
offered us, and we were glad to rest and enjoy 
the view of the landscape garden with its mini- 
ature lake and islands on which were temples 
and twisted trees. 

From this room we passed through more 
corridors to the entrance, where we bowed to 



32 The Spell of Japan 

our guide, put on our shoes, and departed, with 
a feeling of having been soothed and rested by 
the beautiful simplicity and solemnity of the 
Gosho Palace. 

Once more out in the sunshine, we drove 
through the park into the streets of the city 
and on to the Nijo Castle. This palace, for- 
merly belonging to the shoguns, dates from the 
early part of the seventeenth century. Its 
splendid iron-bound gates are fine specimens of 
Japanese architecture and carving. It is much 
more resplendent than the Mikado's palace, 
having been built in a spirit of rivalry to show 
the superior wealth and power of the Shogun. 
We were received here in the same cordial 
manner as at the Gosho, and after removing 
our shoes were taken into a small ante- 
chamber, which had two superb doors made 
of the cryptomeria tree with bronze stud- 
dings and hinges. Then followed a series of 
rooms, the first of which was set aside for the 
samurai and decorated with tigers with intent, 
awful eyes, crouching, rampant, even flying, on 
a background of glorious gold. 

'From these we passed into the rooms used 
by the daimyos, and on from room to room, 
every apartment having its golden setting, 
which was so rich and mellow with age that 



Historic Kyoto 33 

we seemed to be breathing in the creamy soft- 
ness of it. In each of these suites were secret 
closets, where guards were stationed in olden 
times, unseen by the assembly. One chamber 
with its paintings of pine-trees was very at- 
tractive in its simplicity; the next delighted 
us with remarkable carvings; the following 
one, with its cherry blossoms and its ceiling, 
so pleased the late Emperor that he had it 
copied for the banquet-room of his palace in 
Tokyo. Still another apartment, with its bam- 
boo decorations, rivalled those we had seen 
before, while the last one had a pathetic touch 
with its poor little cold and starving sparrows. 

One door of especial note showed a heron, wet, 
cold and miserable, standing on the gunwale of 
a boat. The grain of the wood had been skil- 
fully used by the artist to represent a rain- 
storm. The door had unfortunately been much 
damaged by vandalism during the regime of the 
Kyoto prefecture in 1868. 

From a long series of rooms radiant with sun- 
shine we entered others which had the moon- 
light for their setting — all so beautiful that it is 
difficult to express one's admiration. From this 
suite we were led finally back to the entrance 
once more, arriving there bewildered by the 
vast number of rooms, the length of the corri- 



34 The Spell of Japan 

dors, and the splendour of all that we had 
seen. 

It was in this palace that the last of the Sho- 
guns formally turned over his power to the 
Mikado, an event which marked the beginning 
of the new era for Japan. 

Japanese history, with which Kyoto is closely 
identified, begins with myth and fable. No defi- 
nite facts or dates are known, previous to the 

V fifth century a. d. According to legend, the 
country was first created by Izanagi and his 
wife Izanami ; from his left eye came the Sun- 
Goddess and from his right eye the moon, while 
a tempestuous god came from his nose. He 
was blessed with more than a hundred children, 
but, in spite of this, his wife, Izanami, died and 
went to Hades. Although their parents were 
divine, the children were only demi-gods, and 
came to earth by means of a floating bridge. 

The Sun-Goddess, Ama-terasu, was given par- 
tial control of the new realm. She appointed 
her grandson, Ninigi, and his descendants for 
ever, sovereigns of Japan. Before leaving his 
grandmother's kingdom Ninigi was presented 
with a sacred mirror, sword and jewel. The 

^ mirror is shown at the shrine of Ise, the sword 
in a temple near Nagoya, while the stone has 



Historic Kyoto 35 

always been kept by the Mikado. Ninigi, ac- 
companied by a host of gods, alighted upon a 
mountain in the province of Satsuma, and his 
son, Jimmu Tenno, finally made a conquest of 
Japan. 

The Emperor Jimmu is said to have been 
the first human sovereign in the land. He 
rowed up through the Inland Sea with his war- 
riors, overcoming and subjugating the savages 
whom he encountered. All this happened dur- 
ing the seventh century before Christ. Feb- 
ruary eleventh is the date celebrated as the 
anniversary of his coronation as Emperor, but, 
of course, not only the date but even his very 
existence, is uncertain. The present Emperor 
is believed to be a direct descendant of this first 
ruler. 

Some think that Jimmu Tenno may have been 
a Chinese warrior, for it is true that during 
the third and fourth centuries a. d. vast hordes 
of Chinese and Koreans invaded the country, 
bringing with them the arts and sciences of 
civilization, as well as the religion of Buddha. 
The Ainus, who were probably the original 
Island people, began to disappear and are now 
found only on the northern island of Hokkaido 
— also called Yezo. 

The first woman who seems to have taken an 



36 The Spell of Japan 

active part in Japanese history is the Empress 
Jingo (Singokogu). She is supposed to have 
lived in the third century a. d. and to have made 
a conquest of Korea, which she added to her 
other possessions. 

The son of Sujin, " the Civilizer," became 
known as the Merciful Emperor, because he did 
away with the terrible custom of burying alive, 
with a deceased Emperor, his family, retainers, 
and animals. Instead, he substituted clay fig- 
ures about the tomb. This is still the fashion, 
for such figures were placed inside the tomb 
of the late Emperor. They are also to be seen 
on the avenue leading to the Ming Tombs, near 
the Great Wall of China. 

Kyoto became the seat of the mikados during 
the eighth century a. d. and was known as the 
Western Capital. From the twelfth century on, 
these descendants of the Sun-Groddess were 
rulers of Japan in theory only, however. In 
reality the power was held by a succession of 
powerful nobles — mayors of the palace, like 
the Carolingians in mediaeval Europe — who 
were called shoguns. 

The shoguns continued in power for nearly a 
thousand years, living at first in Kyoto but 
later — in the sixteenth century — removing to 
Tokyo (Yedo), which became the Eastern Cap- 



Historic Kyoto 37 

ital. They never claimed supremacy, always 
affirming that they ruled the country simply by 
authority delegated to them from the Mikado. 
Any titles or honours which they wished to 
bestow upon themselves or their favourites 
were given in the name of the Emperor. 

The Portuguese were the first foreigners to 
arrive, coming in 1542. With them were Jesuit 
priests, who, under cover of attempted conver- 
sion, were thought to be plotting a Portuguese 
conquest of the country. As a result of this 
discovery, in 1587, an edict was issued that all 
Christian teachers should leave Japan. Later 
even more stringent measures were taken for 
the destruction of the Church, and all proselytes 
were called upon to recant. 

After this event two centuries and a half of 
peaceful seclusion, known as the Tokugawa 
Period, followed. The founder of this dynasty 
was Tokugawa lyeyasu, a general of great 
genius who succeeded in bringing the other 
nobles to terms and in establishing a strong 
and effective central government. Bismarck 
is said to have described him as ^* a great man 
long trained in the school of adversity." Feu- 
dalism reached its perfection under his rule. 

While the shoguns were in power they owned 
all the land in the realm. This land they leased 



38 The Spell of Japan 

to the daimyo, or barons. These in turn sublet 
to their vassals, the brave samurai, who formed 
the fighting class and gave military service to 
their lords for the value received. Merchants, 
traders, manufacturers, farmers, artisans and 
coolies, all owed allegiance to their immediate 
master, who stood next above them in the social 
scale. 

During the Tokugawa Period art and letters 
flourished. The country was at peace, and well 
governed. The only foreigners allowed in the 
country were the Chinese and Dutch traders, 
who might enter the harbour of Nagasaki under 
guard. 

To Americans the most interesting date in 
Japanese history is that of July 14th, 1853, 
when Commodore Perry appeared with his 
black ships, his big guns, and a letter from the 
President of the United States to the Shogun 
of Japan. (Foreigners did not realize that the 
Shogun was not the supreme authority.) Prince 
Tokugawa not only received the letter, which 
was contrary to national law, but in due time 
consented to the opening of certain ports to 
foreign trade. 

Soon after this, the *' open door " policy 
proving unpopular with the people, the country 
found itself in the throes of a revolution which 



Historic Kyoto 39 

resulted, in 1868, in the restoration of the Mi- 
kado to the throne of his ancestors and to the 
power which went with it. Prince Keiki Toku- 
gawa, the fifteenth of the House of Tokugawa 
and last of the shoguns, retired in favour of 
the Emperor, Meiji Tenno. He survived the 
Emperor by over a year, dying in November, 
1913. 

Although the Imperial line was restored to 
power, their capital, Kyoto, was abandoned in 
favour of Tokyo, which has remained the seat 
of government ever since. 




CHAPTER III 

FIEST DAYS AT THE EMBASSY 

OON after Christmas we left Kyoto 

for Tokyo. After having been on the 

train eighteen days I looked forward 

with pleasure to being qniet once 

more. 

At the station we found the members of the 
American Embassy Staff and some old Jap- 
anese friends waiting to greet us. There were 
nineteen in all on the Staff — a larger number 
than at any other American Embassy. As we 
walked down the platform to the carriage, the 
photographers took flashlight pictures of the 
party in quite an up-to-date American fashion. 

We had a house ready for us on our arrival, 
as the United States owns the Embassy in 
Japan. Of course all our embassies and lega- 
tions and consulates are considered American 
territory, but as almost all these are rented 
houses, the theory is rather absurd. Years ago, 
however, the Government felt that it was neces- 
sary to buy land in Japan and Turkey for em- 

40 



First Days at the Embassy 41 

bassies and in China for a legation, and this 
accounts for our experience. 

Congress is not generous in anything which 
does not concern immediate home politics. It 
will not pay for embassies which compare with 
those of other nations, as a rule. The one 
appropriation so far suggested in Congress for 
the purchase of five or six embassy buildings 
is not sufficient to buy one suitable residence, 
so the Government would probably acquire, at 
best, only a second-rate house, which would 
make the American Ambassador second-rate in 
the eyes of the country to which he was ac- 
credited. 

Granting that the Government did acquire a 
suitable house, however, it would require an 
increase in salary to keep it up. Diplomats are 
obliged to observe certain standards of living 
unless they wish to have their country looked 
down upon. For instance, in Vienna even the 
secretaries must drive in a carriage with a pair 
— a one-horse conveyance is not considered 
suitable for diplomats. On the other hand, as 
there is no regular diplomatic service in Amer- 
ica, the raising of salaries would attract a poor 
class of politicians who would seek foreign 
posts for the money that went with them. This 
happens sometimes in representations from 



42 The SpeU of Japan 

other countries, but as they have a well-organ- 
ized service it does not occur very often. 

From the outside the Embassy in Tokyo looks 
rather like an American summer hotel — a 
large white house with green blinds, of no par- 
ticular style and somewhat old and ramshackle. 
I was told that it had to be built of wood on 
account of earthquakes ; it certainly had great 
cracks in the walls. It had been newly painted 
in honour of our arrival, and looked fairly well 
on the outside, comparing favourably with some 
of the other embassies: the English, German 
and Austrian are perhaps better, and the 
French are to build an ambitious new one. The 
Dutch and the Brazilians were our nearest 
diplomatic neighbours ; the former have a very 
nice compound on a hill near-by, and although 
the house is not large it is filled with beau- 
tiful curios. Our own Embassy was shabby, 
but we found it rather nice and comfortable, 
after all ; it was one of the few houses in Tokyo 
that had a furnace, which is a rare luxury in 
Japan. 

The embassies are scattered about on com- 
manding hills in different parts of the city, as 
the land was bought at various times by their 
respective governments. At one time Tsukiji 
was the only part down by the river where 



First Days at the Embassy 43 

foreigners who were not officials were allowed 
to live, but I believe they may now rent houses 
in any section of Tokyo. 

Our compound was on the slope of a hill in 
a district called Akasaka. It covered about two 
acres and contained, besides the Embassy and 
the chancery and the servants' quarters con- 
nected with it, a stable and two bungalows. 
One of the bungalows was for the First Secre- 
tary, the other for the First Japanese Secre- 
tary, who was not a Japanese but an American 
who had mastered the language. 

The compound itself, in which all the build- 
ings stand, is really a garden, with cherries and 
plums and twisted trees, an arbour of wisteria, 
and, of course, a little pond and bridge. The 
snow that came several times during the winter 
only added to its charm, making of it a place 
where sprites would have loved to dance. 

The front door of the Embassy opened into 
a large hall with a staircase at one side. On 
the left was the Ambassador's private office, 
which connected directly with the chancery of- 
fices, while on the right was a small reception- 
room with an open fire. I often received guests 
in this room for tea; it was done in green and 
had Japanese brasses and prints upon the walls. 
Opening out of it was another small parlour 



44 The Spell of Japan 

done in pink and white, with rows of books 
about; from this one entered a drawing-room 
with red brocade on the walls, heavy furniture, 
and a piano. This led in turn into a large 
dining-room, finished in white, with an enclosed 
veranda outside. 

Up-stairs there were four bedrooms, a library, 
and a long enclosed balcony into which the sun 
poured all the morning. The bedrooms were 
large and barn-like, but with the aid of Jap- 
anese crepes and rugs they came to look quite 
attractive. 

The place which I liked best of all was a 
writing-room on the veranda. On a table cov- 
ered with a blue and white Chinese cloth stood 
a small hihacJii, a fire-box for warming the 
hands, made of hammered brass, with fantas- 
tic chrysanthemums and leaves. There were 
also a long Korean pipe and a shorter Japanese 
one, as well as a gun-metal box that we had 
bought in Kyoto, inlaid with a crouching gold 
tiger. On the wall were red and green prints. 
Pottery and baskets with plants in them, and 
a bowl of goldfish, completed the decorations 
of this little den. 

A few stray pieces of furniture, rather the 
worse for wear, were the only things owned by 
the Government, but we had arranged to rent 



First Days at the Embassy 45 

the furnishings of my husband's predecessor. 
Fortunately these were attractive things, so that 
the house was ready for use upon our arrival. 
It is much harder than one would imagine, even 
to-day, to get things in Japan for European 
houses. The foreign shops which had Euro- 
pean furniture to sell charged well for it, and 
did not have much that was in good taste. 

During the first few days we were busy un- 
packing our belongings — some old Japanese 
screens that had travelled round the world 
back to Japan with us, a few rugs, and our 
linen and silver. We weeded out the things we 
did not especially care for in the house, and 
picked up here and there some interesting 
prints and curios. It was said to be the moment 
to purchase porcelains that were coming out of 
China, and as Jaehne, an American dealer in 
Tokyo, came back with some good things, we 
bought a few. With these, and with the en- 
chanting little dwarf trees in bloom, the Em- 
bassy soon looked homelike and pretty. 

We had already engaged in advance the Jap- 
anese servants. These live in the Embassy 
compound, and many of them are passed on 
from one Ambassador to the next. Their quar- 
ters are connected with the Embassy house, and 
they sometimes invite their relations to live 



46 The Spell of Japan 

with them, so that often fifty or more persons 
may be found there. As they both eat and 
sleep upon their mats and are very quiet, one 
would never know they were in the compound 
at all. 

Watanabe and Dick, with the little maids, 
all wore Japanese costumes. Watanabe, the 
^^ head boy," or butler, had been in the Em- 
bassy for thirty-five years, and had entire 
charge of the housekeeping arrangements. He 
was head of the ^^ Boys' Guild " of Tokyo, and 
an important person. Dick was the only one 
of the servants who had been in America, al- 
though the cook had been in France, and O 
Sawa, the maid, had been to China and the 
Philippines. 

Every morning the cook sent up a French 
menu for approval. European food, as pre- 
pared by the Japanese, is really very good. 
Turtle, served in American fashion, is quite as 
palatable as our terrapin, and the *^ mountain 
whale,'' or wild boar, is a real delicacy. (In 
olden times the Buddhists were not supposed 
to eat meat, and because it was difficult for the 
people of the mountains to get to the sea for 
fish the priests allowed them to eat the wild 
boar on the hills, but called it ^' mountain 
whale! ") Some of the meat used in the city 




JAPANESE SERVANTS. 



First Days at the Embassy 47 

comes from Australia, as does also the canned 
butter. Cows are few, - but we were able to 
get our own milk and butter from a local dairy. 
My husband is very fond of Japanese food, and 
as I like it too, often of an evening when we 
were alone or had friends who also enjoyed it, 
we would have Japanese dinners at the Em- 
bassy, served upon the table but in the pretty 
lacquer bowls on little lacquer trays. Eels with 
rice and soy was a favourite dish. 

I used to enjoy sitting in the den and listen- 
ing to the street noises, they were so strange 
and interesting. There were the songs of men 
carrying heavy loads, and the bells of the men 
who, in the winter, run from temple to temple, 
almost naked, and have cold water poured over 
them, as a penance. There was the fanfare 
of the soldiers, too, something like that of the 
Italians, and the flute of the blind masseur, 
and the steady whistle of the man who cleans 
the pipes of smokers. The newsboys all wore 
bells, and the people selling wares often had 
little drums which they beat. 

When not listening to the sounds outside, I 
often used to sit and look into the bowl of glis- 
tening water where the goldfish lived, for they 
quite fascinated me, with their jawless chins, 
which they kept opening and shutting for food 



48 The Spell of Japan 

in such a greedy manner! The swish of their 
tails was like the grace of a trailing kimono 
worn by the ladies of long ago, while their fins 
suggested the sleeves of a geisha girl. Some 
of them had popping eyes that stared at you, 
some were so fat that they swam upside down 
quite comfortably. They would rush from one 
side of the bowl to the other, pushing their 
noses up close against the glass, as if they were 
eager to swim out of their lovely opalescent 
world. Many humans live in a world not very 
much larger than a goldfish's bowl, and never 
try to get out at all ! 

Of an evening one heard the notes of the 
s amis en, an instrument like a small-headed 
banjo, made of catskin and having three strings. 
Japanese music is minor, and being in half 
tones, which our ear is not trained to appre- 
ciate, sounds very strange, and to many even 
uncouth. None of it is written — the songs are 
simply passed on from one to another. Al- 
though so many Europeans do not care for 
this music, I find it very fascinating. 

But our ideas of what is beautiful are bound 
to differ. Watanabe caught a nightingale in 
the Embassy garden by means of a spider, and 
put it in a cage in the house. It had several 
notes, not all very pleasant, I must admit, but 



First Days at the Embassy 49 

I suppose it was a compliment when he told 
some one, after having heard me sing, ^^ Bird's 
high note just like Madam ! ' ' 

In the silence of the night, one also heard 
the clack, clack of the watchman at a house 
near-by, who beat two sticks together so that 
his master might hear and know that he was 
keeping watch. Besides this, there was the 
squeaking of rats, the meow of our cat, or the 
barking of a dog. It must have been this same 
dog, by the way, who came to such an untimely 
end while we were there. 

'' Have you heard the news? " one of the 
secretaries asked one morning. 

^ ' Why, no — what is it f " I inquired. 

^' Perhaps you may remember that the Em- 
bassy dog barked so much that our neighbours 
complained and we had to give him away. 
Some geishas took him, but he still came back 
to visit us." 

** Yes," I interrupted, ^^ he comes back at 
night — IVe heard him! " 

* ^ He did come back — but alas ! he never 
will again. That is the news — we found him 
dead in the garden this morning. His funeral 
procession has just gone down the street, the 
geishas following the corpse in their 'rickshas." 

^' A dog's funeral! How funny! " 



50 The Spell of Japan 

*' Not so funny as sometMng that happened 
not very long ago, when the local veterinary 
died,'' the Secretary assured me; ^' our Em- 
bassy dog was invited to attend his funeral. 
Of course we sent him, and he rode in state in 
the first 'ricksha behind the body, followed by 
other dogs of lesser rank, each riding in its 
master's carriage." 

Occasionally there would be the tremor of 
an earthquake. But most of the shocks are 
slight — so slight that one doesn't often feel 
them. Having been born and brought up on 
made land in the Back Bay of Boston, where 
every team shakes the house, I did not notice 
one all the time I was in Tokyo. I had to take 
the tremors on hearsay. 

Tokyo is considered cold in winter. It has 
a chill wind, but not so bad as the east wind in 
Boston. The climate might, perhaps, compare 
with Washington, but as the houses are so- 
lightly built, and the people live upon the floor 
with little heat, the Japanese suffer a great deal 
from the cold. It had always been thought 
too severe in Tokyo for the Emperor, who as 
Crown Prince used to go to the seashore during 
the winter months, but this year, having be- 
come Emperor on the death of his father, he 
was obliged to stay in town. 




SECRET.' — WOOD - CUT BY MISS HYDE. 



First Days at the Embassy 51 

Miss Hyde has perhaps the most attractive 
house and garden that I saw in Tokyo. The 
garden was small, but you entered under a 
torii gate, and found a bronze Buddha calmly 
sitting beneath a tree. Indoors, Miss Hyde 
had decorated some of the shoji, the sliding 
screens, with pretty, laughing Japanese chil- 
dren. Her wood cuts of these children, by the 
way, are enchanting. The day we lunched with 
her the table was charmingly arranged, with 
little dolls among the flowers carrying lighted 
egg-shell lanterns. 

The different members of the Staff were very 
kind in welcoming us by dinners given in our 
honour. Each entertainment had a new feature 
introduced. Some of the ^' boys " are very 
clever in arranging miniature landscapes on the 
table, or dwarf box-gardens. Often electric 
lights are introduced among the flowers. Jap- 
anese fingers are so deft that the results are 
marvellous. At one dinner to which we went, 
the guests found little lanterns with their names 
on them, and sat under a huge, wide-spread 
Japanese umbrella. On many occasions the 
place-cards were charmingly painted. One was 
repeatedly fascinated by the fairy-like scenes 
that were set on the tables. After dinner we 
often had music or bridge — every Saturday 



52 The Spell of Japan 

night a certain set met for bridge at the Italian 
Embassy, and on another evening at the Aus- 
trian. 

One night, in the middle of a dinner, we heard 
great shouting outside. It sounded like a col- 
lege cry in Japanese and ended up with ^' Bom- 
zai Taishikwan! '' The latter word means am- 
bassador. Banzai is often used as a toast — 
Good luck to you! — but literally translated, 
means, * ' Hurrah ! Ten thousand years ! ' ' 

At a dinner one evening, we met two Jap- 
anese ladies, sisters, who were dressed alike in 
black kimonos with white dots to represent a 
snowstorm — ^a design especially appropriate 
for winter; superb silver sashes embroidered 
with black crows completed their costumes. At 
this dinner an Italian tenor sang delightfully. 
For souvenirs we were given charming lacquer 
saToe cups. 

We ordered as mementoes for our dinners at 
the Embassy small silver boxes with the Ameri- 
can eagle upon them. At Japanese dinners they 
often give you exquisite lacquer cups or black 
lacquer boxes with decorations in gold, tied 
with bright cord, or silver knickknacks made in 
artistic designs. They are sometimes put on 
the table in their boxes in front of you, or 
passed on a tray, uncovered, as is done at Coui*t, 



First Days at the Embassy 53 

at the end of the repast, so that you may pick 
out the object you prefer. It was said that the 
late Emperor himself used to design the tokens 
which were used on the Imperial table. The 
little souvenirs are admired and greatly treas- 
ured, both by the Japanese themselves and by 
foreigners, some of whom have really beautiful 
collections which are displayed with pride on 
the tables in their salons. 

Shopping in Japan is always a leisurely af- 
fair. It is fascinating to go into the queer, 
pretty little shops with their soft mats, and to 
enter the attractive courtyards. If the dealer 
thinks you are sufficiently appreciative, he will 
take out of his godown or treasure-house a blue 
and white vase, or a peachblow, and will sit on 
the mat handling it tenderly while you drink 
a cup of tea or smoke a tiny pipe, as you choose. 
One may spend days in such a curio shop, dis- 
cussing the beauty of a vase, admiring the 
bronzes, and finally, perhaps, settling upon a 
price ! It is very exciting when the silken hand- 
kerchief is being unwound from some treasure, 
and you see the beautiful thing at last, for 
you never can tell whether it is going to be a 
little bronze or a piece of ivory, or smooth 
lacquer. We knew enough to make the dealer 
go deep into his godown before we began to 



54 The Spell of Japan 

talk or bargain, for they don't trouble to bring 
out their best things unless you insist. When 
you have seen the really good work you won- 
der how you ever looked at the muM^ which 
was displayed at first. 

After luncheon our drawing-room would 
fairly seethe with dealers, who came to show 
us their curios both old and new, which they 
laid out on the furniture or the floor, as it hap- 
pened. They brought lacquer boxes and porce- 
lains to tempt the eye, and innumerable wood 
cuts of doubtful quality. 

Not only the old curios, but the modern 
articles made for foreigners, are very attract- 
ive, but dealers only make one or two of the 
same kind, so it is often impossible to duplicate 
even the simplest household things. Besides 
the silver tea and coffee sets, there are silk 
articles — stockings, handkerchiefs, and crepes 
of all kinds, beautifully embroidered — while 
the modern porcelains are both charming and 
cheap. But one finds most of these modern 
things in America now. The old Japanese 
curios that are really good cost more than ever, 
and are every year more difficult to find. 

The culture pearls are especially attractive, 
and only the Japanese produce them. The oys- 
* Cheap articles made for foreign trade. 



First Days at the Embassy 55 

ter must be three years old when it is opened 
and a piece of mother-of-pearl inserted. This 
causes an irritation, which forms a pearl in 
about four years. They are often coloured pink 
or blue by injecting chemicals, but as they are 
rather flat on one side they do not bring the 
prices of natural pearls. 

It is possible to buy some furs which are 
rarely seen in America — the long-haired rab- 
bit, the badger, and slippers made of monkey- 
skin. Wherever we went, we were advised to 
buy our furs elsewhere. China is, of course, 
noted for its skins — the long white goat and 
the leopard being among the best — but we 
were told not to buy in China because, although 
furs were cheap there, they were not well cured. 
In Eussia we were warned not to buy them 
because they were so costly, but to wait till we 
reached Germany, where they are both well- 
cured and inexpensive. I must confess that we 
bought in all places, however, and found them 
generally satisfactory. While the Japanese furs 
are not so cheap as the Chinese, they are 
cheaper than the Eussian and are well cured. 

The main shopping street of Tokyo, the 
*' Ginza," is very broad and has the most prom- 
inent stores. Some of these look quite as mod- 
ern as those on Broadway and are several sto- 



56 The Spell of Japan 

ries high — a great contrast to the little wooden 
houses about them. One finds to-day in the 
city a great many wide spaces and parks that 
did not exist a few years ago, but, of course, 
many of the streets are still narrow and pic- 
turesque. 

One lovely late afternoon, when there was a 
silver half -mo on swimming in the sky, I went 
for a walk with Osame through the city streets, 
which are a continuous bazaar. We turned 
aside into little narrow ways, lined with bam- 
boo fences with quaint gates, inside of which 
were glimpses of pretty gardens with gravel 
approaches and gnarled pine-trees, and of little 
houses with overhanging roofs that threatened 
to tumble over with their own weight. In front 
of the houses hung lanterns with characters 
which Osame translated for me. Here was the 
house of a ** Teacher of the Tea Ceremony," 
there lived a *' Teacher of Flower Arrange- 
ment; '/ each tiny dwelling bore the name of its 
owner — and often his telephone number ! — on 
a little wooden slab tacked on the gate-post. It 
was all so typical and so characteristic — so 
different from a street anywhere else in the 
world. We came to a hill and passed up long 
flights of steps, coming to a temple on the sum- 
mit which is as quiet and solemn as if it were 



First Days at the Embassy 57 

miles from anywhere. Then we went down 
again, by another long flight of stairs, into a 
busy district, past many pretty tea-houses in 
which geishas live, and so out into the more 
respectable quarter of the Embassy. When my 
husband was here twenty-five years ago, much 
of this thickly settled part of the city was all 
paddy-fields. 

Some of the signs on the streets, written in 
English ^^ as it is Japped," used to be very 
funny, but the Government has tried to do 
away with the amusing ones, so that to-day they 
are seldom seen in the city, though one runs 
across them now and then in the country. 
** The efficacy of this beer is to give the health 
and especially the strength for stomach. The 
flavour is so sweet and simple in here if much 
drink," was one of them, I remember. A tailor 
of uniforms had on his sign, " Gold Tail Shop," 
while another shop assured the passer-by that 
'' The tas [tea] are restful and for sharpen the 
minds." Cigarettes are driving out the native 
tobacco; a brand is advertised as being " very 
fragrant except a bad smell," One sign in- 
sisted that within could be produced " wine, 
beer, and others! " 

The days at the Embassy passed very pleas- 
antly. Afternoons and evenings were filled 



58 The Spell of Japan 

with social duties, but the mornings I was free 
to spend as I chose. Mrs. Caldwell, wife of one 
of the Staff, and I found the Japanese toys 
so fascinating that we could hardly tear our- 
selves away from the shops. Madame Van 
Royen, the American wife of the Dutch Min- 
ister, and I had several automobile rides to- 
gether. Mrs. Caldwell and I played tennis and 
sang duets, and sometimes of a morning I would 
have a walk with one of the secretaries. 

There was always plenty of sight-seeing to 
be done whenever we had any spare time. It 
was a happy surprise not to find more changes 
in the outward appearance of the country and 
of the people since my earlier visits. The hotels 
throughout the country are more comfortable, 
however, and the European food better. The 
naisans (maids) and geisha girls speak a little 
English now, which they could not do a few 
years ago. In many of the towns the streets 
are wider and are bright with electric lights, 
while electric cars and motors are quite popu- 
lar, and even flying-machines are to be seen. 
The cities are more sanitary than they were, 
too, although even now an occasional case 
of cholera is discovered, and foreigners are still 
careful not to eat uncooked food. 

The yellow journals of both America and 



First Days at the Embassy 59 

Japan have been active in trying to stir up 
trouble between the two countries. When we 
were in Japan fifteen years ago, some of our 
papers said that foreigners were in danger 
there, but we never saw then, or while my hus- 
band was Ambassador, any rudeness or threat 
of violence. Lately, owing to the California 
trouble, I understand that some rude speeches 
have been made, and some writing has appeared 
on the Embassy wall. When we were there 
with the American Secretary of War on our 
way to the Philippines, no people could have 
showed greater good-will than the Japanese 
Government expressed in every way to our 
party, which represented the United States. 

To return to the streets — although one sees 
many carriages and a few motors, the man- 
drawn jinrikisha is still the most popular con- 
veyance; a few years ago there were forty 
thousand of them in Tokyo alone. The runners 
can jog along at a good six miles an hour, and 
can keep up the pace for a long distance. With 
a leader or pusher, or with three men, as many 
as ninety miles can be made in a day. As Tokyo 
is almost as wide-spreading as London, an 
automobile is a convenience in returning visits, 
notwithstanding the narrowness of the streets, 
in which people walk and children play. Pedes- 



60 The Spell of Japan 

trians pay little attention to the warning of 
the automobile horn, perhaps owing to the 
whistles and horns of the dealers and the other 
noises of the busy streets. 

There are some large new brick buildings in 
Tokyo, and a new railway station is being built. 
Some of the European government buildings 
are quite handsome, as well as very large and 
imposing — they would look big anywhere, 
whether one admired their architecture or not. 
There are also two large European hotels, and 
a good bank. 

Shiba Park is not very far from the Embassy. 
People go there to see the Shiba Temples, 
which were built in honour of the sixth, sev- 
enth, and ninth shoguns. As usual, one enters 
through a torii, or gateway, into a paved court- 
yard, and takes off one's shoes before going 
into the temple. 

In feudal times, when the Shogun came to 
worship the spirits of his ancestors, he alone 
ascended to the sanctum of the temple, the 
daimyos seating themselves next to him in the 
corridor below, while the rest of the nobility 
occupied the oratory. 

The lacquer in these temples is perhaps the 
most beautiful that I saw in Japan, and the 
carvings are superb. In many places one sees 



First Days at the Embassy 61 

the three-leafed asarum, which is the crest of 
the Tokugawa family, and the lotus, the Bud- 
dhist emblem of purity. 

Behind the temples are the stone tombs with 
their bronze lanterns ; the newest one bears the 
date 1877, and is the burial place .of the present 
Emperor 's great-aunt. Near the tombs can be 
seen the imprint of Buddha's feet, which must 
have been of phenomenal size ! 

One day we went over the Os^a- Museum, 
which has probably more Buddhas than any 
other museum in the world. It is a private col- 
lection near the Embassy, and contains some 
superb red lacquers, all very well arranged. It 
was interesting to note that the porcelains 
were tied to the shelves, on account of earth- 
quakes. 

One of the most popular resorts, Uyeno Park, 
which is well known for its temples and the 
tombs of the shoguns, is on very high ground 
and has a fine view. An immense stone lantern 
— one of the three largest in Japan — is there, 
and also an ancient pagoda and some fine cryp- 
tomerias. During the season people visit this 
park in hundreds to see the cherry blossoms. 

The tombs of the Forty-Seven Eonins must 
be visited, so much has been written about the 
brave band, and their dramatic story is so often 



62 The Spell of Japan 

told in Japan. Under the huge cryptomerias on 
the side of a hill, one comes to the many stone 
lanterns surrounding a sort of court, where 
their admirers still place lighted incense sticks 
and leave their visiting cards on the dead 
heroes. By the path leading to the tombs the 
well where the Eonins washed the head of their 
victim still exists. 

Briefly told, their story is as follows; In 
April of the year 1701, Asano, Lord of Ako, 
while in Tokyo with the Shogun, was asked to 
arrange one of the great State ceremonies. 
Now, Asano was a warrior, and knew little of 
such matters, so he questioned a nobleman 
named Kira, who was well versed in Court eti- 
quette. It did not occur to Asano that he was 
expected to pay for the information, and when 
he failed to do so, Kira jeered at him, and one 
day insulted him by asking him to fasten his 
tahi^ or footgear. Stirred to anger, Asano drew 
his sword and slashed the nobleman, without, 
however, killing him. 

Unfortunately, this happened in the palace 
grounds. To fight in such a sacred place is a 
crime, and Asano was told that as a punishment 
he must perform hara-Mri, which he immedi- 
ately did. Asano 's castle was confiscated and 
his family declared extinct, so that his faithful 



First Days at the Embassy 63 

retainers became ronin, or ' ' wave men ' ' — 
wanderers. 

OisM, the head retainer, consulted with forty- 
six of the most trusted of the band, and they 
swore vengeance on Kira, who had brought 
about their master's death. In time the forty- 
six became trades-people, while Oishi himself 
pretended dissipation in order to put Kira off 
the track. But they did not forget their oath 
of vengeance, and two years later, during a 
severe snowstorm, the Forty-Seven Eonins 
made an attack upon Kira and his retainers, 
and succeeded in vanquishing them. 

As Kira was a great noble, he was given the 
privilege of performing hara-Jciri^ but he was 
afraid to kill himself, and so Oishi murdered 
him. As the Forty-Seven Eonins marched 
through the streets with the head of their 
enemy, the people came out of their houses and 
cheered. Oishi laid Kira's head upon the grave 
of Asano. Official sentence condemned all the 
Renins to commit hara-hiri^ and they have been 
worshipped as heroes ever since. 

* Hara-kiri is an honourable form of capital punishment, and 
is also a popular method of suicide. The man who is about to 
die invites his friends to share in a farewell feast. Robed in 
white, he takes leave of them and enters a screened enclosure, 
where he proceeds to disembowel himself with a knife. A friend 
who acts as a sort of second stands by and with a keen sword 
puts an end to his agony by cutting off his head. 




CHAPTEE IV 

COURT FUNCTIONS 

ATUEALLY, the most interesting 
event of the winter was our audi- 
ence and luncheon at Court. We 
started from the Embassy at half -past 
ten in the morning. My husband was accom- 
panied by his immediate Staff, in full evening 
dress, and all wearing mourning bands on their 
arms — the Naval and Military Attaches, of 
course, were in full-dress uniform. L. went off 
in a State carriage of gold and black, sent by 
the Emperor, with a Court dignitary to conduct 
him to the palace, and an escort of the Imperial 
Lancers on horseback, bearing pennants of red 
and white, the Imperial colours. Court car- 
riages with the Secretaries and Attaches were 
next in line, each one having a coachman with 
cockade and golden bands on hat and livery, 
and two hettos, or running footmen. 

I followed this procession in the Embassy 
carriage, with the Naval and Military Attaches' 
wives in other vehicles behind. The coachman 

64 



Court Functions 65 

and the betto of tlie American Embassy pre- 
sented quite a fine appearance in tlieir charac- 
teristic livery — navy-blue hats, mushroom- 
shaped and bearing the eagle, and coats to 
match, with shoulder capes piped with red, 
white and blue. 

So we started on that wonderful drive 
through Tokyo. Down the steep descent from 
the quaint, lovely garden of the Embassy we 
drove, the hettos holding back on the poles to 
help the under-sized little horses. Two mounted 
soldiers fell in behind the official carriages as 
we passed down the broad streets. The hettos 
ran on ahead, and shouted out warnings to the 
pedestrians, who always fill the roadways where 
they are narrow, and scatter over them where 
they are broad. Men and women stood still 
and faced the Imperial carriage as it passed, 
uncovering their heads, and some even pros- 
trating themselves on the ground ; others came 
out from the miniature shops to gaze; jinriki- 
shas and trolley-cars stopped, and people got 
out of them and stood respectfully; the tiny 
dolls of children even looked on in wonder, and 
the police stood at attention at the corners. 
For we were going to see the mysterious Mi- 
kado, Son of Heaven, Heir of Two Thousand 
and Five Hundred Years of Direct Descent 



66 The Spell of Japan 

from tlie Sun-Goddess. Hidden away there 
in Ms palace behind the ramparts and moats 
of ancient castles, strange and far away, he is 
still held sacred by his millions of people ! 

Every view was like a picture on a fan. We 
went on past the walled residences of ancient 
feudal lords; past the torii — the *' bird-rest " 
gates at temple entrances — through which we 
caught glimpses of stone lanterns and the wide- 
open fronts of picturesque shrines. Again we 
passed tea-houses from which the twang of 
samisen was heard; and left behind us rows 
on rows of shops with wares of every kind 
exposed in front for trade. Everywhere the 
men and quaint little w^omen went stumbling 
along on their clicking clogs, bowing low to 
one another; and every moment through some 
opening of wall or entrance we could see delight- 
ful little gardens of tree and stone and water 
arranged in a way both fascinating and fan- 
ciful. 

We came to the broad expanse before the first 
moat of the Imperial castle. Beyond rose the 
great stone wall, grey, moss-grown and impress- 
ive, of huge blocks like those of the Egyptian 
pyramids. The branches of the grotesque over- 
hanging pine-trees bowed down to the still 
waters beneath, where the lovely lotus opens 



Court Functions 67 

up its flowers in season and the great leaves lie 
idly on the smooth surface. At the corners of 
the wall rose the white, many-storied guard- 
houses, like pagodas with their curving roofs. 
We passed through the huge gateway with its 
heavy doors into a second wide space, which 
led to another moat and rampart of the ancient 
castle fortifications, crossed another bridge, and 
entered the sacred enclosure of the Imperial 
residence, with its imposing gate; and finally 
wound round a gravel road, bordered with great 
trees, to the palace entrance, a large covered 
porch, from which steps led toward the recep- 
tion hall. On each side stretched the palace, 
built in old Japanese style, low and simple, in 
its wood colour and white. 

Count Toda, Grand Master of Ceremonies, 
Count Watanabe, Minister of the Imperial 
Household, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, 
and other officials and chamberlains met us at 
the entrance. With little delay the bowing 
officials conducted the party through long cor- 
ridors, laid with red carpets. Here more offi- 
cials in gold-braided European dress were sta- 
tioned at intervals. From the corridors we 
caught delightful glimpses of large rooms with 
gorgeous decoration, and enjoyed the odour of 
perfumed woods. The ladies were left in one 



68 The Spell of Japan 

reception-room and the men gathered in an- 
other. 

My husband was conducted alone to the Phoe- 
nix Hall, where he was to be received in audi- 
ence by the Emperor. Taking a few steps along 
the gallery, which looked out into another de- 
lightful garden, he faced into a square, simple 
Japanese room, in the middle of which stood 
His Imperial Majesty, with his interpreter be- 
side him, while at a distance behind and on 
either side were gentlemen-in-waiting. Eti- 
quette required a low bow at the threshold and 
two others while approaching. The Emperor 
extended his hand, and made some inquiries 
through his interpreter. L. read a short 
speech, which was afterward translated by 
the interpreter, and handed his credentials 
and the letter of recall of his predecessor to 
the Emperor, who passed them to an aide at 
one side, and replied in a very low voice through 
the interpreter with a few words of welcome 
and assurances of the maintenance of happy 
relations. Then it was indicated that the Staff 
might be presented. They entered, making 
their three bows as they approached the Em- 
peror, who shook the hand of each one, then 
they retired backward out of the room. After 
they had disappeared, His Majesty again gave 



Court Functions 69 

his hand in token that the audience was over, 
and my husband made his bows and withdrew. 

After this he joined me, and we were both 
received by the Empress in the Peony Hall, 
a small room with hardwood floors, wood carv- 
ings, beautifully decorated walls and ceiling, 
but no furniture. I followed L., courtesying 
at the door as he bowed, and again as the 
Empress gave me her hand. The ladies with 
me followed in our train, also courtesying. 

Her Majesty talked through an interpreter, 
the conversation consisting principally of ques- 
tions, such as — ** How did you stand the jour- 
ney across Siberia? " ^* Do you not find it very 
cold in Japan? '' *' Do you enjoy flowers? " 
The Empress is young, bright and very pretty. 
She was dressed in deep mourning, in European 
style, and her hair was done in the Western 
fashion. After she had spoken a few words to 
each one of us we courtesied and backed to the 
door. Their Majesties were kind enough to say 
they remembered us from our former luncheon 
at the palace during the reign of the late Em- 
peror. 

In the interval between the audience and 
the luncheon, the latter not occurring till half- 
past twelve, we drove back to the Embassy. 
Our ** head boy " told us it was customary to 



70 The Spell of Japan 

have a glass of champagne upon returning from 
such a function, so we had some wine and bis- 
cuit, which the Master of Ceremonies and the 
officer in command of the escort were invited 
to share with us. Then we all went out and 
were photographed by all kinds of cameras 
levelled by an army of photographers — as that 
seemed to be the custom, too. 

When we returned to the palace, we were con- 
ducted into the vast Eoom of One Thousand 
Seeds, which, like the Peony Hall, had no chairs ; 
but the ceiling was magnificently carved and 
there were beautiful panels and vases of flowers. 
Different members of the Imperial family came 
in, the men in uniform, the ladies in black Eu- 
ropean gowns and hats. As the luncheon was 
to be informal, frock coats were worn by the 
men of the Embassy in place of evening clothes. 
I was then presented to the Emperor, who was 
in khaki uniform, and seemed alert and inter- 
ested in everything, and we followed Their 
Majesties into the large dining-room near-by. 

This room was also vast and spacious, with 
glass on one side through which we looked out 
into the garden. The table was set in handsome 
European style for thirty or forty persons, and 
a number of servants in European liveries stood 
in impressive line behind. Their Majesties sat 



Court Functions 71 

together in the centre of the table, with Prince 
and Princess Kan-in on their right and left. 

Prince Kan-in, who was on one side of me, 
is a cousin of the Emperor, young and quite 
good looking. Having lived in France for nine 
years, he spoke French well. On the other side 
was Prince Katsura, who was at that time 
Prime Minister and one of the strongest and 
best-known men in Japan. Prince Katsura 
spoke a little English, but preferred German. 
His German was not much better than mine, 
so we did not have so much interesting con- 
versation as we otherwise might have had. 
Prince Fushimi, now quite an old man, whom 
we had met years ago in Boston, was there, 
besides many others. 

The luncheon was in European style and 
delicious. The table ornaments were exquisite 
orchids in silver dishes. During the meal the 
Emperor sent me several messages through one 
of the gentlemen-in-waiting, who acted as inter- 
preter: ** Do you have orchids in America! " 
** Are you going to Nikko this summer! " To 
my answer that I had been at Nikko, His Maj- 
esty replied, that his Summer Palace was at 
Nikko, and that he hoped we might go there 
again, as he felt sure we would each time see 
even more beautiful things. The Emperor pro- 



72 The Spell of Japan 

posed my husband's health by lifting his glass 
and drinking, and L. rose, lifted his, and drank 
to the Emperor. Then His Majesty pledged 
me, and I rose, and drank to him in return. 
At the close of the luncheon charming silver 
bonbon boxes in old Japanese designs, such as 
the hibacM and the kago, or sedan-chair, and 
bearing the Imperial crest, were offered us as 
souvenirs. We were each delighted to select 
one of these attractive mementoes. 

After luncheon we returned again to the Hall 
of One Thousand Seeds, followed by the high 
officials of the Imperial Household. Here my 
husband and I conversed more intimately with 
Their Majesties. Conversation was carried on 
in a whisper through the interpreter, for Jap- 
anese Court etiquette requires that the voice be 
never raised while talking with the Emperor 
and Empress. Then the Imperial party with- 
drew, and the rest of us were left to pass out 
at leisure and view with interest and pleasure 
the rooms through which we were conducted, 
visiting the large, simple Throne Eoom on the 
way. So this extraordinary experience came to 
an end, and remains a dream, wonderful, seem- 
ingly unreal. The day after the audience we 
went over to the palace, and signed our names 
in the Imperial books. 



Court Functions 73 

The reigning Emperor is the one hundred and 
twenty-fourth of his line. It is said that he 
wishes to travel beyond his kingdom, but al- 
though the Japanese people themselves seek to 
be up to date and familiar with the ways of the 
Western world, many of them do not wish their 
ruler to be so, and therefore do not quite ap- 
prove of his taking so much interest in foreign- 
ers. In his boyhood the Emperor went to school 
and seemed quite well and strong; it is said, 
however, that he is rather delicate now. Even 
then he was astonishingly democratic in his 
ideas. They tell a story that, when a boy, while 
out driving one day, he saw a man on the cor- 
ner of a street selling cookies, and said that he 
wished to have some. Other cookies were made 
like them and given to him, but he refused them. 
Nothing would do but he must have those sold 
by the old man on the corner. In vain the 
attendants argued that those cookies were only 
made for common people, for human beings — 
members of the Imperial family are supposed 
to be divine — the boy said that if human beings 
and the common people could eat them, he could 
eat them, too. So the cakes were finally bought, 
and no doubt he enjoyed them. 

The beautiful new palace on the edge of the 
city, at Akasaka, is a fine building in good Euro- 



74 The Spell of Japan 

pean style, much like the palace in Brussels. 
Here the garden parties take place. The pres- 
ent Emperor has never lived in it, preferring 
his Japanese palace on the same grounds, 
which he considers more wholesome, and where 
he lived as Crown Prince. Audiences are still 
held, as in his father's time, in the old palace, 
which has been done over somewhat since the 
death of the late Emperor. 

After our audience and luncheon at Court, we 
were received also by several of the Imperial 
Princes and Princesses at their palaces. To 
these visits we went in our own automobile, our 
chauffeur and footman wearing caps with the 
American eagle and gold braid on the visor, 
and little shoulder-straps of gold that made 
them look suitably ambassadorial. Sometimes 
we took Osame on the box instead of the foot- 
man, so that he might straighten matters out 
in case of difficulty, as the footman and the 
chauffeur did not speak a word but Japanese. 
In his frock coat and top hat he looked quite 
properly funereal. My husband went in his 
evening dress, and I wore black. The houses 
were usually quite European, but were some- 
what bare inside, with a little old-fashioned 
European furniture. As we entered, we were 
greeted by several officials-in-waiting in fine 



Court Functions 75 

uniforms, and then were almost immediately 
received, quite in the same fashion as by the 
Emperor and Empress, except that we were 
asked to sit down. 

One day the Prince and Princess Kan-in re-' 
ceived us. The Nagasakis were in attendance 
and acted as interpreters. They spoke excel- 
lent English. We had known them before, and 
had found them especially agreeable. Mr. Na- 
gasaki is Court Councillor and Master of Cere- 
monies, as well as Lord Steward to His Im- 
perial Highness, Prince Kan-in. Prince Kan- 
in 's palace is a large modern house with fine 
grounds, surrounded by a splendid old-fash- 
ioned wall and entered by a great old-time gate. 
It was rather cold and bare inside, but the Aide 
and the Master of Ceremonies in their gold 
regalia gave bright touches of colour. 

The second princess who received us was the 
wife of Prince Asaka and daughter of the late 
Emperor. Again the officer in attendance had 
been educated in England and was a man of 
the world. As at Court, the women were in 
European dress and in deep mourning with jet 
jewelry. The conversation, as usual, was more 
or less about flowers, the weather and the jour- 
ney. 

Later, we were received at Prince Higashi 



76 The Spell of Japan 

Fusliimi's, whose house we found Japanese in 
style and especially charming. The room where 
we were received, however, had been arranged 
for the comfort of foreigners, as it contained 
a sofa, a table and chairs. Prince Fushimi, who 
is an admiral in the navy, was in London with 
the Princess at the time of the Coronation. 
Both spoke English very well. A card was sent 
to us as a return visit within half an hour after 
each diplomatic audience, as is required by 
Japanese etiquette. 

An important function, which the Diplomatic 
Corps missed on account of the mourning for 
the late Emperor, was the New Year reception 
at Court. At this the ladies wear beautiful long 
court trains hung from the shoulders, such as 
are worn at the Court of St. James. I was told 
that the diplomats are first conducted to the 
Throne Eoom, a large hall, where two chairs 
are arranged upon a raised dais, much as at 
European courts. Here they march in the pre- 
cedence of embassies and legations past the 
Emperor and Empress on their thrones, then 
past all the Imperial Highnesses, bowing and 
courtesying to each one. After this, in a 
smaller room they are served with tea, coffee 
and cakes, and receive lovely gifts as souvenirs. 
Finally, in still another room, they are received 



Court Functions 77 

by Their Majesties and the other Imperial per- 
sonages in a more special way. 

Among Court recreations in which the Diplo- 
matic Corps are invited to join, is the Imperial 
duck-catching party, held in gardens near To- 
kyo in the spring. By decoy ducks the wild 
birds are lured into little canals, on either side 
of which stand those who take part in the sport, 
holding large nets with long handles high in 
the air. All are silent and alert, and as soon 
as a duck takes flight, the netter dashes forward 
and, if expert, entangles a bird in the net. This 
sport is a combination of snaring and hawking, 
for if a bird escapes the hunter, it is likely to 
be killed by the hawk chained to the hunter's 
wrist, which is then set free. Afterward lunch- 
eon is served, a delicious duck stew being the 
principal feature, and the guests return home 
laden with the birds they have succeeded in 
catching. 

The official celebration of the Emperor's 
birthday includes several imposing Court func- 
tions. When my husband was in Japan in 1889, 
earthquakes, reviews and events of all kinds 
were provided for His Imperial Majesty's 
thirty-sixth anniversary. First, they were 
treated to three seismic shocks within twenty- 
four hours, and of quite perceptible violence. 



78 The Spell of Japan 

Then there was the Grand Eeview of troops 
by the Emperor at the cheerful hour of half 
after eight in the morning. 

My husband thus describes it: '^ Aoyama, 
the * Champ de Mars ' of Tokyo, is a tremen- 
dously large parade ground, which was simply 
walled in by the mass of plebeians that had 
turned out to do honour to the occasion. For 
the foreigners the * high seats ' had been re- 
served in the diplomatic tent next to the Im- 
perial stand. The Emperor, followed by the 
Lancers and a gorgeous Staff, made a tour of 
the field, and then the troops passed in review 
before him. They were about ten thousand in 
number, and made a really excellent appear- 
ance; the marching and order were good, 
at times very good. The cavalry appeared 
rather awkward, but this was due to the 
brutish little horses more than anything 
else. 

'' In the evening there was the grand ball at 
the * Rokumeikan, ' given by Count Okuma, then 
Minister of Foreign Affairs, in honour of the 
Emperor's anniversary, which starts the social 
whirl of the capital for the season. It was an 
elegant affair, and from the good taste and 
good management, it might well have been 
in Paris. The grounds were beautifully deco- 



Court Functions 79 

rated with lanterns and coloured lights, and the 
building was superb inside with bunting and 
flowers, the national chrysanthemum being used 
with excellent effect. The uniforms and deco- 
rations of the guests added brilliancy and move- 
ment. There were almost as many foreigners 
as Japanese, and nearly all the latter were in 
European dress, only a few ladies wearing the 
native costume. Those in European gowns car- 
ried them off exceedingly well, and danced 
waltzes and quadrilles in most approved West- 
ern manner." 

The present Emperor's anniversary, as I 
have learned from a letter, was celebrated in 
1913 in much the same way as his predecessor's 
more than twenty years ago — with one impor- 
tant exception, the three earthquake shocks 
were omitted ! The day began with the review 
of the soldiers at Aoyama, after which congrat- 
ulatory poems were presented to His Majesty 
by the Empress and the Empress Dowager.^ 
The Emperor then received the Imperial 

*The Dowager Empress of Japan died of heart disease at 
the Imperial Villa Nowazu, April 9th, 1914. She was the 
widow of Emperor Mutsuhito, who died July 30th, 1912. The 
Empress Dowager was bom May 28th, 1858, and was married 
to the late Emperor in 1869. She was the daughter of a noble- 
man, Icliejo-Tadado, and was greatly beloved by the Japanese 
people. 



80 The Spell of Japan 

Princes and Princesses, and entertained them 
at luncheon. 

The birthday dinner in the evening was fol- 
lowed by the ball given by the Minister of For- 
eign Affairs, Baron Makino, at his official resi- 
dence. Here were princesses of the blood in 
white gowns and superb jewels, Japanese ladies 
in kimonos, ladies of the Corps Diplomatique 
in European costume, priests in their varied 
robes, and diplomats and attaches in gorgeous 
uniforms. It was a brilliant scene. The rooms 
were lighted by electricity and decorated with 
a profusion of chrysanthemums and the Impe- 
rial crest in gold. Long clusters of wisteria 
depending from the ceiling sparkled with elec- 
tric bulbs, and in the supper-room the guests 
were seated at tables under the branches of 
artificial cherry-trees blossoming in the Em- 
peror's honour. 

Some account of our previous reception at 
Court by the late Emperor and Empress may 
be of interest. It took place when we passed 
through Japan in the company of the American 
Secretary of War, Mr. Dickinson, on the way 
to the Philippines in 1910. At that time we 
crossed the Pacific to the Land of the Rising 
Sun. 

News had been received while at sea by aero- 




THE LATE EMPEROR. 



Court Functions 81 

gram from the Embassy that the Imperial Mi- 
kado and the Empress would grant an audience 
and entertain at luncheon at the palace, but 
there was much doubt as to what this really 
meant, for the audience might be only for the 
Secretary and Mrs. Dickinson. So the pleasure 
and surprise were all the greater when, on 
arrival, it was found that those accompanying 
the Secretary were to be included in both func- 
tions. 

The invitations, in Japanese characters, were 
handed to us with many others on our arrival, 
but had already been formally answered at the 
American Embassy. The instructions were the 
same then as they are to-day as to costume and 
etiquette. They indicated that the ladies were 
to wear high-necked dresses with trains and 
hats, and the men were to be in uniform or full 
dress. On the morning of the sixteenth (of 
July), we all met at the Embassy at eleven 
o'clock — as the audience was due at noon — 
and placed ourselves in the hands of the Am- 
bassador. 

Two Imperial carriages conveyed the impor- 
tant official members of the party to the palace, 
and the rest proceeded in vehicles hired for the 
occasion. 

After the men of the party were presented 



82 The Spell of Japan 

to the Emperor, in tlie manner already de- 
scribed, they rejoined the ladies, and all were 
introduced to the lady-in-waiting, Countess 
Kagawa, and then conducted to Her Majesty's 
audience hall. Mrs. O'Brien, the wife of the 
Ambassador, preceded, making low courtesies; 
the ladies followed. 

The Emperor, who was in uniform, appeared 
older than we had expected. Her Majesty was 
several years older than the Emperor, and had 
charming manners, but she did not smile. Ex- 
pression, we were informed, is not considered 
aristocratic. Her hair and dress were in Eu- 
ropean fashion, and she wore beautiful pearls. 
She had no children — the present Mikado is 
the only son of Emperor Meiji by another 
wife. 

Some stories that are told of the late Em- 
peror show how much real strength of character 
he possessed. A few years ago, it is said, when 
a plot against His Majesty's life was discov- 
ered, the Prime Minister went to him and of- 
fered his resignation, saying that as this plot 
had been brought to light while he was in office 
(the first plot against any Mikado in the history 
of Japan), he felt that perhaps his administra- 
tion had not been good. The Emperor, how- 
ever, would not accept his resignation, saying 



Court Functions 83 

that if the people wished to take his life, it must 
be his fault — it must show that he had not been 
a good ruler. Accordingly, he ordered only 
twelve of the twenty-four offenders to be put 
to death. 

In his last illness, owing to the old belief 
that his person was too sacred to be touched, 
even the doctors were not allowed to come in 
contact with him, his pulse being counted by 
a silken cord about his wrist. The Empress 
was at his bedside when he died. The only 
person who ever entered his apartment, I was 
told, was Prince Ito, who came on some ur- 
gent affair of state in response to a telephone 
message from the Emperor himself. The Prince 
was admitted before the Mikado was dressed 
in the morning. Even on the greatest occasions, 
however, he was never really well dressed, be- 
cause no one was permitted to fit his clothes, 
lest a mere human being should touch his per- 
son. 

Yet the life of the late Emperor, secluded 
though he was within his palace walls, was free- 
dom itself in comparison with that of the an- 
cient rulers. In olden times, so Hearn writes, 
*' His (the Mikado's) feet were never permitted 
to touch the ground out of doors, nor was he 
allowed to cut his hair, beard or nails, or to 



84 The Spell of Japan 

expose himself to the rays of the sun/' His 
only excursions outside the walls of his palace 
were made in a large norimono, or palanquin, 
borne by fourteen men, in which, behind the lat- 
ticed windows, he was able to catch glimpses of 
the outer world while himself invisible. Even 
if he granted an audience, he was never seen, 
his person being completely hidden by bamboo 
screens. 

The emperors of ancient days were allowed 
to have three consorts besides the Empress, also 
nine maids of high rank and twenty-seven maids 
of lower rank, all of whom were known as wives. 
In addition to these, he was at liberty to have 
eighty-one concubines. Only one of the wives 
ranked as empress, but the twelve next below 
her had each a palace near that of the Emperor. 
By way of contrast, it is said that the present 
Emperor has never loved any woman but the 
Empress. The Mikado's eldest daughter was 
in olden times appointed chief priestess of the 
Temple of the Sun, at Ise. 

Somewhat in contrast with my husband's ex- 
periences were those of America's first Ambas- 
sador to Japan, Mr. Townsend Harris, as he 
has related them in his journal. After his 
arrival in Japan and many weary months of 



Court Functions 85 

waiting at Shimocla, he wrote September 25th, 
1857, ^^ I am to go to Yedo (now Tokyo) in the 
most honourable manner ; and after my arrival 
I am to have an audience of the Shogun, and 
then present the letter of the President! ! " 

^^ The manner in which I am to salute the 
Shogun," he adds, ^* is to be the same as in 
the courts of Europe, that is, three bows. They 
made a faint request that I would prostrate 
myself and ' knock-head,' but I told them the 
mentioning such a thing was offensive to 
me." 

After two months spent in preparation for 
the journey, Mr. Harris with an imposing ret- 
inue started for Yedo, about one hundred miles 
away. 

As a part of the preparation for his journey, 
^' Bridges had been built over every stream," 
he tells us, ** the pathway mended, and all the 
bushes cut away so as to leave the path clear. ' ' 
At one place the road had actually been swept 
only a few hours before the procession passed 
over it. All along the way the people stood 
motionless in front of their houses, and all the 
shops but the cook shops were closed. The 
magistrates of each village conducted Mr. Har- 
ris to the borders of the next, prostrating them- 
selves in salute as they left. The Government 



86 The Spell of Japan 

had also ordered that there should be no travel 
over the Tokaido, the Eastern Sea Road, during 
his journey. 

In Yedo the American Envoy was domiciled 
in the ^^ Court " section of the city, and eight 
daimyos were appointed as " Commissioners 
of the voyage of the American Ambassador to 
Yedo.'' Another week was passed in receiving 
and paying visits of ceremony, and in arranging 
matters of detail. Mr. Harris received as a 
present from the Shogun seventy pounds of 
Japanese bonbons beautifully arranged in four 
trays. 

On December 7th, at ten o'clock in the morn- 
ing, our Ambassador set out for his audience 
of the Shogun. '' My dress," he says, " was 
a coat embroidered with gold after the pattern 
furnished by the State Department, blue pan- 
taloons with a broad gold band running down 
each leg, cocked hat with gold tassels, and a 
pearl-handled dress sword." He was escorted 
by the same retinue that he had had during the 
journey. He was carried in his norimono up 
to the last bridge in front of the audience hall, 
and before entering this building he put on a 
new pair of patent leather shoes. The Jap- 
anese, of course, went in their tahis. After a 
time he was led to the audience hall, past a 



Court Functions 87 

number of daimyos, seated in Japanese fashion, 
who saluted by touching their foreheads to the 
mat. The Prince of Shinano, Master of Cere- 
monies, then threw himself on his hands and 
knees, and Mr. Harris stood behind him, with 
Mr. Heusken in the rear bearing the President's 
letter. 

At a given signal, the Prince crawled forward 
on hands and knees, and as Mr. Harris followed 
and entered the hall of audience, a chamber- 
lain called out, ^^ Embassador Merican! " With 
the prescribed three bows at intervals, he ad- 
vanced toward the throne, before which the 
members of the Great Council lay prostrate on 
their faces. Pausing a few seconds, Mr. Harris 
then addressed the Tai-kun — as he had been 
instructed to call the Shogun — expressing the 
good wishes of the President. 

*^ After a short silence," says Mr. Harris, 
*^ the Tai-kun began to jerk his head backward 
over his left shoulder, at the same time stamp- 
ing with his right foot. This was repeated 
three or four times.^ After this he spoke audi- 
bly and in a pleasant and firm voice," express- 
ing his pleasure in the Ambassador's speech, 

* I have been told that Mr. Harris shouted in delivering his 
address to the Shogun, who, perhaps, had never before heard any- 
one speak above a whisper. 



88 The Spell of Japan 

and graciously adding, '^ Intercourse shall be 
continued for ever.'' 

Mr. Harris then presented the President's 
letter, after which he withdrew, as he had en- 
tered, with three bows. 

Mr. Harris' description of the Shogun him- 
self is of interest: ^* The Tai-kun was seated 
in a chair placed on a platform raised about 
two feet from the floor, and from the ceiling in 
front of him a grass curtain was hung; when 
unrolled, it would reach the floor, but it was 
now rolled up, and was kept in its place by large 
silk cords with heavy tassels. By an error in 
their calculation, the curtain was not rolled up 
high enough to enable me to see his headdress, 
as the roll formed by the curtain cut through 
the centre of his forehead, so that I cannot fully 
describe his * crown,' as the Japanese called 
it. The dress of the Tai-kun was made of silk, 
and the material had some little gold wove in 
with it, but it was as distant from anything 
like regal splendour as could be conceived ; no 
rich jewels, no elaborate gold ornaments; no 
diamond-hilted weapon appeared. . . . The Jap- 
anese told me his crown is a black lacquered 
cap, of an inverted bell shape." 

Two years later Mr. Heusken, Mr. Harris' 
secretary, was assassinated, and his own house 



Court Functions 89 

was burned. But Mr. Harris never wavered. 
Dignified, firm, self-respecting, he was always 
the kind, patient teacher of the Japanese in the 
ways of the outside world, winning from them 
the title which they love to give him — * * the 
nation's friend." He was a great diplomat, 
but his was a strikingly human and Christian 
diplomacy. He laid the foundations for Amer- 
ica's subsequent dealings with Japan so deep 
in the bedrock of justice and mutual forbear- 
ance that the superstructure has never yet been 
shaken. Our own personal experiences were 
pleasanter because Townsend Harris had led 
the way. 




CHAPTER V 

LIFE IN TOKYO 

lUR diplomatic visits were made within 
two days of our arrival, as etiquette 
requires. My first visit was on the 
Doyenne of the Diplomatic Corps, 
Marchesa Gruiccioli. The French Ambassador 
was Doyen, but as he was not married the Ital- 
ian Ambassadress was the first lady of the 
Corps. When our diplomatic calls had been 
made and returned, we returned those made 
by the American colony in Tokyo and Yoko- 
hama. 

During the winter the ladies of the Diplo- 
matic Corps decided to have a day '^ at home '' 
each week. The period of second mourning for 
the late Emperor had begun, and we all dressed 
in black and white. Dinners and calling 
among the diplomats continued, but the offi- 
cial dinners between the Japanese and the for- 
eigners did not take place on account of the 
mourning. 

The diplomatic dinners were always large 

90 



Life in Tokyo 91 

affairs of twenty or thirty people, and quite 
formal, with the host and hostess sitting in 
foreign fashion at the centre of the table, the 
ends filled in with young secretaries. There 
were but few women present, for many of the 
diplomats in Tokyo were not married. Occa- 
sionally we found one or two Japanese at these 
dinners, but not often, owing to the official 
mourning. They might have been given in 
Europe or anywhere, except for a touch of 
the East in the costumes of the servants and 
the curios about the house. 

To show how a Japanese lady or gentleman 
answers an Ambassador's invitation, I give 
literal translations of two responses which are 
quite typical. 

'' WOKSHIPFULLY ADDRESSED. 

^' Having received upon my head 
the honourable loving invitation of the 
coming 25th day, I humbly regard it 
as the extremity of glory. Eeferring 
thereto, in the case of the rustic wife 
there being unavoidably a previous en- 
gagement, although with regret, (she) 
is humbly unable to ascend; conse- 
quently the little student one person, 
humbly accepting, will go to the hon- 



92 The Spell of Japan 

ourable residence. Rapidly, rapidly, 

worshipfully bowing. 

** Great Justice, 2d year, 2d moon, 19th 

day. 
American Ambassador, 
Beneath the Mansion. 
Honourable Lady, 
Beneath the Mansion." 

** WORSHIPFULLY EePORTING. 

* * Having received upon my head the 
honourable loving invitation to the 
banquet of the honourable holding on 
the coming 25th day, thankfully, joy- 
fully, humbly shall I worshipfully run. 
However, in the matter of , al- 
though regretting, (he) humbly de- 
clines. The right hand (fact) upon 
receiving (he) at once wishes humbly 
to decline. It is honourably thus. Re- 
spectfully bowing. 
*^ Second moon, 20th day. 
American Ambassador, Mr. Anderson, 
Beneath the Mansion. ' ' 

Our first reception was attended by most of 
the diplomats, some of the American colony, 
and a few Japanese. In American fashion I 



Life in Tokyo 93 



had the ladies of the Embassy pour tea at the 
large table in the dining-room. There were 
over a hundred and fifty guests in all, many 
coming from Yokohama. On another of our 
days at home a huge shipload of tourists from 
the Cleveland arrived, which made the after- 
noon quite gay. They began to arrive half an 
hour before time, much to their dismay. It 
seems that they had been put into 'rickshas 
and their coolies instructed to take them to the 
Embassy, but when they got there they could 
not make the 'ricksha-men understand that they 
were early and wanted to drive about a bit until 
three. When my husband came down-stairs 
they had camped outside in the snow, which 
had fallen quite heavily the day before; he 
heard them talking, and, of course, asked them 
in at once. 

One afternoon we entertained some Amer- 
ican and English women. I was quite amused 
when a missionary's wife came up to me, wag- 
ging her head and looking very solemn about 
something. 

*^ I suppose you did not know," she said, 
** that the singer is a very naughty man." 

^* No, I didn't," I answered; ^* but I don't 
quite know what I can do about it — " and 
I'm afraid I wagged my head, too, as I added, 



94 The Spell of Japan 

'^ Don't you think we can reform him, per- 
haps? " 

She must have seen the twinkle in my eye, 
for she laughed and said she didn't believe we 
could. We agreed that he sang very well in- 
deed. 

Our last big reception was held at the Em- 
bassy on Washington's Birthday. We had 
some souvenirs made in Japanese style, little 
black lacquer ash trays with the crest of the 
United States in gilt upon them for the men 
and fans also decorated with the crest for the 
ladies. A good many of the missionaries came, 
not only from Tokyo and Yokohama, but also 
from the interior. 

On St. Valentine's day I took some presents 
out to Watanabe's house, where I had asked 
all the children of the compound to gather. 
There were about a dozen of them, sitting on 
mats and making a very pretty group. They 
had put a carpet over the mat, so I did not have 
to take off my shoes, and a chair was procured 
for me to sit in. Then I told Osame to trans- 
late and tell them how, on St. Valentine's day, 
people in America send each other * verses — 
sometimes love-verses, sometimes comic verses 
— but that as I couldn't write any in Japanese 
for them I had brought some little gifts instead. 



Life in Tokyo 95 



The children all bowed to the ground, and were 
very, very . respectful — much better behaved 
than young people at home! They seemed to 
be pleased, and after giving each one his pres- 
ent I withdrew, telling Watanabe to give them 
tea and cake or whatever they wanted. But 
pretty soon he asked if they might come into 
the Embassy and thank us. So they filed in, 
bowing again, and sang a little Japanese song 
to my husband and myself, which was all quite 
touching. We showed them a toy tiger we had 
bought in Paris that would spring and jump 
when wound up^ and a bear that would drink 
water, both of which delighted them greatly. 
After a while, bowing once again, they de- 
parted. 

We made some very pleasant friends in 
Japan. Among others we met Baroness Sonno- 
miya, who is herself English but married to 
a Japanese. During her husband ^s lifetime she 
had great power, as she was the intimate friend 
of the Empress Dowager. There were also 
Dr. Nitobe and his wife, who were among the 
most delightful people we met. I enjoyed his 
books thoroughly, as well as his address before 
the Japanese Peace Society, which met at the 
Embassy. 

This gathering had its amusing side, because 



96 The Spell of Japan 

the president of the Society had made most of 
his money selling guns! Moreover, before I 
realized that it was the Peace Society which 
was coming to the Embassy, I had invited the 
Naval Attache 's wife and an army officer 's wife 
to pour tea! Just at that moment it hardly 
looked as if the cause of peace was making 
much headway in the world, for while we were 
talking about it, terrible battles were being 
fought in Turkey, the City of Mexico was under 
bombardment, and there was talk of fighting 
between Austria and Eussia. 

One day I called on Madame Ozaki, whom I 
had met in Italy when she was Marion Craw- 
ford's secretary. Her mother was English, her 
father Japanese ; she is very pretty and writes 
charming stories. After living in Europe for 
a number of years she returned to her father 
in Japan and taught school, finally marrying 
Mr. Ozaki, one of Japan's most conspicuous 
politicians to-day. When I called on her I 
found her dressed in European style, but she 
had the true Japanese reserve; in fact was 
much more Japanese than I had expected after 
her many years abroad. Her house was partly 
European, but when the shoji was thrown aside, 
the little maid who received us bowed to the 
ground in true native fashion. 



Life in Tokyo 97 

Madame Ozaki did not speak of politics, al- 
though her husband had just made an attack 
on Katsura, who had been for the moment 
overthrown. It was said that she had received 
threatening letters warning her and her hus- 
band to flee to England. 

At this time of political upheaval a curious 
article appeared in the paper to the effect that 
three men had attended their own funeral serv- 
ices, which they wished to hold because they 
were about to start on a dangerous expedition. 
It was suggested that perhaps they might be 
going to take some prominent man's life, but 
nothing happened, so far as we knew, until 
spring, when Mr. Abe, of the Foreign Of&ce, 
was murdered. 

In order to explain the political situation in 
Japan as we found it, I am obliged to touch 
briefly on the political changes during the last 
fifty years, — that is, since the time of feu- 
dalism. 

After Commodore Perry's visit, the Toku- 
gawa government, whose shoguns had been the 
real rulers of the country for more than two 
centuries and a half, decided to open the ports 
to foreigners, while officials at the Imperial 
Court of the Mikado desired to continue the 
policy of exclusion. Finally the reigning Sho- 



98 The Spell of Japan 

gun was brought to see that it would be better 
for the country to have but one ruler, and re- 
signed in favour of the Mikado. This inau- 
gurated the wonderful Meiji Era — the era of 
the late Emperor. 

Since they had always been men of action, 
it was the clever samurai, rather than the old 
nobles, who found a chance to show their abil- 
ity under the new regime. They became prom- 
inent in both the Upper and Lower Councils, 
which were based somewhat on feudalism, and 
yet showed strongly the influence of Western 
ideas. 

Political questions were freely discussed, 
political parties appeared, and the first con- 
ventions were held. The first cabinet was 
formed in 1885, with Prince Ito as Premier. 

The Administration was divided into ten 
departments: — The Imperial Household, For- 
eign Affairs, Interior, Finance, Army and 
Navy, Justice, Education, Agriculture, Com- 
merce, and Communications. A Minister of 
State was appointed head of each department. 
The Empire was divided into provinces, each 
ruled by a governor. In 1890 a national as- 
sembly was granted, and the first Diet was 
convened. 

The government to-day is Conservative, and 



Life in Tokyo 99 

is controlled by the Genro, the elder statesmen. 
The Progressive party, the Seyukai, is led by 
Ozaki. The Socialists make a good deal of 
noise, but are still far from powerful; their 
opposition to the Eussian war weakened their 
influence greatly. The Socialist party in Japan 
was largely responsible for the recent anti- 
American demonstrations. 

For many years Prince Ito was considered 
the ablest man in the country. Okubo and 
Okuma were also noted leaders, while Prince 
Katsura, in recent times, held great power. 
Katsura was quite unpopular with the people 
while we were in Japan. It was felt that he 
had delayed a meeting of the Diet in order to 
form a party which would be stronger and at 
the same time more completely under his con- 
trol. Each time when the assembly was post- 
poned by a command from the Emperor, the 
blame was placed on Katsura. Finally Yama- 
moto was chosen to form a cabinet, which took 
a long time to do on account of the different 
parties. Ozaki, as head of the Progressives, 
wished to dictate to Yamamoto, but the latter 
would not comply, so things came to a stand- 
still. People seemed to think that Ozaki was 
going too far, and that he had better take half 
a loaf instead of insisting upon a whole one. 



100 The Spell of Japan 

It appeared that the Japanese were not as yet 
advanced enough for his ideas, or else that he 
was too advanced for theirs. Later on, his 
party yielded somewhat, and Yamamoto made 
up his cabinet with Ozaki left out. 

After the trouble had all blown over, people 
said that it had all been worked out by clever 
Katsura. If this is true, it was one of his last 
achievements, for the Prince, who is considered 
the greatest Premier Japan ever had, died in 
October, 1913. His career was an interesting 
one. His father belonged to the samurai class, 
and the boy, Katsura Taro, became a staif 
officer when only twenty-one. During the 
Franco-Prussian war he was in Germany study- 
ing military tactics. Later he was given charge 
of the reorganizing and modernizing of the 
Japanese army. The success of the Japanese 
in the Chinese and Russian wars is attributed 
to his genius and to his '* silent and unre- 
warded toil. ' ' Only after the battle of the Yalu, 
when he was made viscount, did his work begin 
to be appreciated. Later he was created prince. 
After the Chinese war he changed from soldier 
to statesman — was four times Prime Minister, 
and *^ almost a whole cabinet in himself." 

Internal politics do not run any more 
smoothly in Japan than they do in our own 



Life in Tokyo 101 

country. On account of the frequent changes 
of cabinet there was often rioting in front of 
the Diet during the winter we were at the Em- 
bassy. Newspaper offices were attacked and 
burned, and the mob seemed to have an especial 
grudge against the police, who were hardly able 
to cope with the situation. Hearing that there 
was rioting near the Embassy one evening 
after dinner, several of us walked to a matsuri 
not far away, but the crowd was dispersing 
when we arrived, and only the policeman's 
sentry-box, which was overturned, remained to 
tell the tale. 

Clubs are an important element in our mod- 
ern civilization, and especially for foreigners 
in the Orient, where bachelors so greatly pre- 
dominate — I believe the proportion is even 
more than that of forlorn damsels in Massa- 
chusetts. At Yokohama there are two organi- 
zations, the Yokohama United and a German 
club, besides the two American societies, the 
Asiatic and the Columbia. 

The Tokyo Club has the reputation of being 
the most charming in the East. It is splendidly 
situated on a hill near the American Embassy. 
The charges are moderate, and the service is 
generally good. Japanese as well as Euro- 



102 The Spell of Japan 

peans belong to it. While we were in Tokyo 
my husband was invited to become the foreign 
vice-president, the president being an Imperial 
Prince. At first he begged off, but a com- 
mittee of the club visited him and urged him 
to accept the office, saying that the Japanese 
were anxious to pay our country a compliment. 
The Tokyo Club is more than a register of 
social prominence in the city — it is also im- 
portant as a political barometer, and this polite 
insistence upon L.'s accepting the place was, 
in its way, a tribute to America. 

Many adventurers come to the East to seek 
their fortunes, and one hears strange stories, 
tragic or romantic as the case may be. A 
lover waits on the dock for his fiancee on the 
steamer, only to find that she has decided at 
the last moment to marry another whom she 
has met on the voyage; a wife returns from a 
long vacation at home to find her husband con- 
soling himself with a geisha; a father who 
comes out to look for his son discovers him 
deep in debt and drinking himself to death. 
Such are a few of the many tales we heard. 

Some differences in social customs may be 
noted here. It is polite, for instance, to remove 
your shoes at the door on entering a Japanese 
home. After you have entered it is only polite. 



Life in Tokyo 103 

as well as modest, to remain near the door! 
When you are offered tea or anything of the 
sort, it must be twice declined, but the third 
time it may be accepted. 

In conversation one must exalt the person 
addressed, while everything belonging to the 
speaker must be held of no value at all. A 
father, on taking a bright boy to the teacher, 
would naturally say, '^ honourable teacher, 
here is my idiot son ! ' ' And a mother, no mat- 
ter how deeply she may feel the death of a child, 
must shed no tears but continue to smile and 
say, * ' Oh — child no good ! ' ' 

What Hearn says about poetry is also true 
of the Japanese smile. When in danger, smile ; 
when angry, smile ; when sad, smile ; in fact, it 
is etiquette always to smile ! In so many ways 
the Japanese are an admirable race, and in 
none more so than in this. Their instincts are 
all for good taste and good manners. 

Speaking of manners — of course, standards 
vary. It used to be a common thing in the 
country villages to see men and women bathing 
together in large tanks, but as Westerners dis- 
approved of this custom, a few years ago an 
order went forth that men and women bathing 
together must put on suits. The result is that 
to-day they sit on the edge of the tank, or on 



104 The Spell of Japan 

the seashore, and dress and undress as they 
have always done, before one another, and won- 
der why they are obliged to pnt on bathing- 
suits when they go into the water! But an 
order is an order, they say, and must be obeyed. 

In 1897, when we were in Japan, foreign 
clothes and top-hats were very popular, and to- 
day queer combinations of clothes are still no- 
ticeable. The foreign cap is much worn by the 
men, and a sort of loose-sleeved overcoat of 
English cloth, like an opera coat, is used in 
winter, worn over the kimono. But the tahis, 
or linen socks made like a mitten, and the clogs, 
are worn as before, while often an unmounted 
fur skin is wrapped about the neck. People 
well dressed in European clothes are called 
^^high-collared" — in fact, this expression is 
applied to almost anything that is Western and 
modern. Many of the men who have been 
abroad are very correctly and smartly clad, but 
they usually put on a Japanese costume in the 
evening, for they call the European dress an 
^^ uncomfortable bag." 

Some of the * * high-collared ' ' Japanese have 
at least one meal a day in European style, and 
part of the house is usually devoted to foreign 
furniture. They also believe that milk and 
meat should be eaten in order to make the race 



Life in Tokyo 105 

grow larger. Most of the men are anxious to 
learn Western ideas, and take great pride in 
showing inventions that have been introduced. 
They consider themselves quite up to date, and 
so they are in many ways. 

When my husband was first in Japan, in 1889, 
a woman's highest desire was to wear Euro- 
pean clothes, and if she could hire a costume 
and be photographed in it, she was perfectly 
happy. But I do not think they feel like 
that to-day. The novelty has worn off. Be- 
sides, Japanese dressmaking is a very simple 
matter ; a kimono is made of straight breadths 
of cloth basted together. Compared with that, 
the plainest Western frock must offer many 
problems. 

It is certainly better for us not to attempt 
to talk Japanese, for if one cannot speak it well 
it is safer not to try at all. One is very liable 
to address a nobleman in the language of a 
coolie, or to mystify a servant by speaking to 
him in the tongue of the higher classes — there 
are three ways of making a remark, according 
to the rank of the person addressed! No one 
can believe the difficulties of the language till 
he has tried it. To master it in any degree 
requires years of study. 

To illustrate this I will quote from Dr. Gor- 



106 The Spell of Japan 

don, the missionary, who gives a bit of dialogue 
between teacher and pupil during a lesson. 
*' The pupil says, ' The child likes meshi,' ' No,' 
says his mentor, ' in speaking of a child's rice 
it is better to use the word mama — the child 
likes mama/ Undiscouraged, the student tries 
again : * Do you eat meshif ' But his teacher 
stops him and tells him that it is polite, in 
speaking to another of his having or eating 
rice, to call it gozen. Having taken this in, the 
student goes on with his sentence-building: 
^ The merchant sells gozen/ Again the teacher 
calls a halt, and tells him that mesJii and gozen 
are used for cooked rice only, and that for 
unboiled rice home is the proper word. Feel- 
ing that now he is getting into the secrets of 
the language, he says, ' Kome grows in the 
fields,' but he is again stopped with the in- 
formation that growing rice is called ine/' 

More than one scholar in European tongues 
has declared Japanese to be the most difficult 
language in the world. One has said that a 
man '' can learn to understand as much of 
Spanish in six months as he can of Japanese 
in six years." Chinese ideographs are said to 
outnumber the Japanese characters to-day, and 
in numerous instances have actually displaced 
them, even among the common people. Many 



Life in Tokyo 107 

characters have two meanings and only in com- 
bination can you know which is intended. 
There are no pronouns in the language, nor are 
there any '' swear- words '^ or imperatives, the 
people are so polite. 

Family names are also very confusing — to 
the Japanese themselves, I should think, as 
well as to us — because of the frequency of 
adoption. Each family feels that it must have 
an heir to take care of the aged members while 
they live and to pray for them when they die, 
so a child is adopted and given the patronymic. 
Blood doesn't seem to count at all, for even if 
a son is born later, it is the adopted child who 
inherits. Sometimes children brought up in 
foreign countries take foreign names. A naval 
officer told me of a charming Japanese girl 
whom he knew, named Bessie. One day she 
confided to him that she was going to marry 
Charlie. ^* Marry your brother! " exclaimed 
the astounded officer. ''■ Yes," replied Bessie 
sweetly, * ' you not know — I not father 's real 
child, and Charlie not father's real child. Char- 
lie and I, we no relation — both adopted! " 

Adoption is not always necessary, however, 
for if a man has no children he can easily 
divorce his wife, simply by telling her to return 
to her father's house, and he may then marry 



108 The Spell of Japan 

another woman. The modern law also gives 
this privilege of divorce to the wife, but custom 
is so strong that she never leaves her husband 
of her own accord. 

Marriages are generally arranged by the 
parents, with the assistance of a mutual friend. 
The man and girl are allowed to see each other, 
but although they are not actually forced into 
marriage, few would dare to disobey their par- 
ents' wishes in the matter. They have a wed- 
ding feast, at which the bride and groom sit 
on the floor facing each other. The ceremony 
sometimes consists of their both drinking from 
a two-spouted tea-pot. The bride is clad in 
a white kimono and veil, which she keeps all 
her life, and wears once more when she is dead. 
Many presents are received, but the gifts of the 
groom, which are as costly as he can afford, 
are offered by the bride to her parents in grati- 
tude for all that they have done for her in the 
past. 

After the wedding the husband takes his 
bride to his home, no doubt to live with his 
father and mother. The wife must not only 
obey her husband, but is also much under the 
rule of her mother-in-law. A man sometimes 
brings his concubine into the house, and often 
her children as well, and these his wife is 



Life in Tokyo 109 

obliged to adopt. If husband and wife dis- 
agree, the go-between is usually consulted, and 
occasionally succeeds in arranging matters. 

Japanese ladies, as a rule, do not go about 
very much, except those who have married for- 
eigners or have lived abroad. A few ladies 
appear at foreign dinners with their husbands, 
but very often the men have dinners at which 
their wives do not appear. This may be partly 
owing to their inability to speak English. 

But, as a whole, the women have little pleas- 
ure. When the man of the house entertains, 
he either takes his guests to a tea-house or calls 
in a geisha to help him do the honours, while 
his wife sits apart in a room by herself and is 
neither seen nor heard. The diversions, even 
of the well-to-do, are few, comprising the ar- 
rangement of flowers, the composition of po- 
etry, and an occasional visit to the theatre. 

Women are employed in manual work, in the 
fields, and in the loading of coal in the big ports, 
and more and more in the new industries. The 
Idtchen- standard of wifehood is disappearing. 
Last winter a woman made a speech in public; 
this caused great excitement — in fact, it was 
said that she was the first Japanese woman to 
do such a thing. In spite of the many changes 
which are coming about, they are as far from 



no The Spell of Japan 

being suffragists as we were a hundred years 
ago. The sex as a whole are a long way from 
anything like economic freedom. 

A woman has recently been made bank-pres- 
ident in Tokyo — a quite unheard-of innova- 
tion. She is Madame Seno, a sort of Japanese 
Hetty Green. In spite of the fact that she is 
over seventy, she goes to her office every morn- 
ing punctually. Her tastes are very frugal. 
She wears plain cotton kimonos, and travels 
third-class. At the outbreak of the Eussian 
war, however, she was the first to offer her 
subscription to the Government. 

The children have a very good time, spinning 
tops, flying kites, and playing battledore and 
shuttlecock. In the life of Japan everything 
has its place and period, and the children's 
games succeed one another in such due order 
that it is almost impossible to buy the toys 
of one month when the season has passed into 
the next month. It is extraordinary how the 
little people combine their work and play, for 
you see a small boy carrying a baby on his back 
staggering around on stilts, and another small 
boy pulling a loaded cart and rolling a hoop 
at the same time, and little girls with littler 
girls on their backs tossing balls into the air 
or bouncing them in the streets. It is really 



Little girls with littler girls on their backs 





m ] 




1 


ffj 


M 


m 



Life in Tokyo ill 

an unusual thing to see a woman or young girl 
in the street without a baby attached to her. 
I think one of the reasons why the Japanese 
race has not grown larger is because the chil- 
dren from a very early age carry such weights 
on their backs. 

Mr. Brownell tells a story of a Japanese girl 
which shows the filial duty and faithfulness 
that prevail. It seems she fell in love with 
a foreigner, and he with her. His intentions 
were good, and, although he was obliged to 
go away on a trip, he wrote her that he would 
soon be back to make her his wife. During 
his absence, however, her parents arranged an> 
other marriage for the girl, and on his return 
he found this letter from her: 

^'Sik: — 

^^ I am married and is called Mrs. 
Sodesuka, and by our Japanese moral- 
ity and my natural temperament I de- 
cline for ever your impoliteness letter. 
** Sodesuka Otoku." 




CHAPTER VI 

THE GROWING EMPIRE 

LTHOUGrH in many of her newer 
phases Japan is less fascinating to 
the casual tourist than where she is 
still ^* unspoiled," the efforts she is 
making to get into step with the rest of the 
world, and to solve the problems which are 
confronting her, are full of interest to the stu- 
dent and to the more sympathetic traveller. 

To wide-awake Americans the growing Japan 
should be of especial interest, since however 
much we believe in and hope for continued 
peace between the two nations, there is bound 
to be more or less commercial competition. 

Where the British Islands have stood in 
regard to shipping and commerce on the At- 
lantic, the islands of Nippon bid fair to stand 
on the Pacific. Even to-day the Pacific is by 
no means an empty ocean, but its development 
still lies largely in the future. It is the near 
future, however, and Japan knows it. The 
Panama Canal is almost completed; China is 

112 



The Growing Empire 113 

awakened and beginning to take active notice; 
Japanese colonies are being planted in South 
America and elsewhere. 

While many countries of the Western world 
are facing a falling birth-rate, Japan's is rising 
rapidly. There is a tradition which accounts 
for this state of affairs. It seems that there 
was once a quarrel between the creators of the 
land, Izanami threatening his wife, Izanagi, 
that he would cause the population to die off 
at the rate of a thousand a day. The goddess, 
however, got the last word, and increased the 
birth-rate to fifteen hundred a day. Appar- 
ently she has been able to maintain the ratio 
to the present time — at any rate, there is an 
annual gain of half a million. 

With a population already averaging three 
hundred to every habitable square mile, it is 
little wonder that the nation feels the need of 
extending her boundaries and to that end is 
trying to open up new territory to her emi- 
grants. 

Emigration began in 1885, when the King of 
Hawaii called for settlers in his island realm. 
Emigration societies were organized, under the 
control of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and 
to-day the men of Nippon greatly outnumber 
the whites. The Foreign Minister still has 



114 The Spell of Japan 

entire charge of the societies: he grants all 
passports, and sees to the proper distribution 
of the thousands who every year leave their 
own country to settle more or less permanently 
in other parts of the world. Many emigrants 
go to Manchuria, Korea and Formosa, some 
to the Malay Peninsula and Australia, a few 
to the Philippines, and an increasing number 
to Central and South America. But they are 
a home-loving people, and eventually three- 
fourths of those who go out, return to Japan 
to settle down once more with their families. 

Greatly to Japan's mortification, her people 
have been repulsed in California. Professor 
Peabody of Harvard returned recently from a 
trip to the Orient, and had this to say on the 
subject: '^ We accept as citizens the off-scour- 
ings of Eastern Europe, and shut our door on 
the thrifty Japanese, whose colour may be no 
darker and whose descent may be from the 
same original stock. What nags the Japanese 
in the matter is the indirect insinuation of bad 
blood, the intimation that a people whose edu- 
cation is compulsory and self-help is universal 
may not prove as serviceable elements in a com- 
mercial democracy as the average of Syrians 
or Copts; that, in short, the Par East is in- 
trinsically inferior to the Near East.'' He 



The Grrowing Empire 115 

points out that after twenty years the Japanese 
hold only about one per cent, of the agricultural 
land in the State of California, and that there 
are five thousand less of them there now than 
there were three years ago, owing to a ^' Gen- 
tlemen's Agreement," by which Japan limits 
her emigration to the United States. 

This land question came up after we left 
Tokyo, but it naturally interested us intensely. 
The Californians seem to fear the Japanese 
because they live so cheaply and work so hard 
that it is thought they may come in time to 
own the whole state. 

A recent competition, with a prize offered 
for the best essay on the California trouble, 
showed a world-wide ignorance of the real sit- 
uation and its causes. Since this was true of 
both American and Japanese competitors, it 
seems to show that even the more educated 
among us need to think and study more deeply 
into the problem before making up our minds. 

An extract from the Japan Magazine, which 
is published in Tokyo, shows how men of the 
better class feel regarding the land question: 
^ ' Japan is not angry, but she is earnestly anx- 
ious to know whether America will rest content 
to allow the California attitude to pass as 
national. No, Japan is not wrathful, but she 



116 The Spell of Japan 

is mortified to see any section of the country 
that calls itself her friend, somewhat abruptly 
suggest that her absence is preferred to her 
presence. . . . Happily, the California attitude 
does not represent the American people, so that 
Japan still has hopes of a reconsideration and 
a reinstatement. On the other hand, it is un- 
fortunate that the majority of Japanese resi- 
dents in the United States are not really repre- 
sentative of Japan. Certainly the average of 
emigrants going to America is not at all on an 
intellectual or social equality with the average 
citizen at home . . . they are the poorest and 
most unfortunate of their countrymen, and 
would never have left home if they could have 
succeeded as well in their own country. The 
same may be said of every immigrant from 
Europe. . . . When the lowest class can do so 
well, a better class would do even better. . . . 
The main hope lies at present in so instructing 
intending emigrants that they will be able to 
assimilate speedily and amicably with Amer- 
ican society and abide by the customs and laws 
of the country." 

It is interesting to note that in Japan they 
talk of the '^ white peril " and tell of the cruelty 
and oppression of Europeans to their '' less 
civilized " yellow brethren. They have no 



The Growing Empire 117 

difficulty in finding cases where might has made 
right, even in very recent times. 

It is suggested by a Japanese newspaper that 
their diplomatists, in dealing with our country, 
have been imitating the attitude of the British 
toward the United States, apparently believing 
it to be in the end the one most likely to achieve 
results. The main features of this ^ ^ attitude ' ' 
are much patience and brotherly kindness, but 
unwavering firmness. 

Before leaving the subject a few statistics 
are not out of place. The reason why the ques- 
tion centres about California is that sixty per 
cent, of all the Japanese in the country are in 
that state, where most of them are engaged in 
agriculture. During the last five years the 
number of immigrants has steadily decreased. 
In 1911, the Japanese farmers produced more 
than twelve million dollars' worth of crops, 
which is nearly twenty per cent, of the entire 
yield of the state. Eeckoning their labour on 
land they do not control, however, they are 
responsible for at least ninety per cent, of the 
agricultural products of California, whether 
vineyard, vegetable, or fruit. The most suc- 
cessful farmers are in the northern part of the 
state, where the low district along the river is 
tabooed by Axaericans, and but for the men 



118 The Spell of Japan 

from Japan would be idle and useless. The 
immense harvest of fruit and grain in the San 
Joaquin valley could hardly be gathered with- 
out them. 

During the agitation against Asiatics, when 
the number of Japanese was reduced, and Indi- 
ans, Greeks, Mexicans, and Italians took their 
places, the American managers admitted that 
one Japanese was equal to three or four of the 
other nationalities in agricultural work. The 
farmer from Nippon is a hard-working man, 
always eager to have his own little hut and a 
wife and family. 

Dr. Sidney L. Grulick, in his recent book, 
*' The American Japanese Problem," points 
out the one-sidedness of the attacks made upon 
the Japanese in California. He says, for in- 
stance, that ^^ When Governor Johnson and 
Secretary Bryan came to Florin [a town used 
as an ^ awful example ' of Japanese occupa- 
tion], Mr. Eeese, already known for his anti- 
Japanese attitude, was chosen by Governor 
Johnson to be their guide and instructor, while 
Mr. Landsborough, known to Governor John- 
son as pro- Japanese, was turned aside." The 
report of the State Labour Commission, which 
investigated the situation, was so favourable to 
the Japanese that the state government is said 



The Growing Empire 119 

to have suppressed it — at any rate, it has 
never been published. 

The Los Angeles Times says: '* The Jap- 
anese have become an important factor in the 
agricultural and commercial life of the south- 
west. Their thrift is remarkable, their patience 
inexhaustible, and they are natural gardeners, 
seeming to read the secrets of the very soil 
and to know instinctively what will do well and 
what will do better. The result of this close 
study of soil conditions, close observation of 
crop and weather conditions, enables the Jap- 
anese to control to a great degree the vegetable- 
raising industry of Southern California. ' ^ 

Considering that there are more Italians in 
New York than there are in Rome, and that one 
person in every three in our metropolis is a 
Jew, while half the population of Norway is in 
this country — to mention a few cases — it 
doesn^t seem as if we ought to object seriously 
to a handful of Japanese immigrants. 

Although California repulsed them. South 
America has proved very hospitable to the 
Japanese. The ^* Latin- American A-B-C " of 
Argentina, Brazil and Chile, receives their 
colonists eagerly. Guglielmo Ferrero, the Ital- 
ian philosopher, finds traces of a possible racial 
likeness between the Japanese and the natives 



120 The Spell of Japan 

of South America. While he is by no means 
sure of this relationship himself, he says, 
'^ Japan will not shrink from relying upon 
the anthropologic theories above stated for the 
purpose of opening to its emigrants the ports 
of this immense and wealthy continent and 
establishing the strongest ties of close friend- 
ship where Europeans are gathering such har- 
vests of wealth. ' ' 

The friendship which exists between Japan 
and Argentina, however, is not based upon any 
real or fancied racial ties. It began at the time 
when the latter country sold the Island nation 
two new warships which she was having built 
in Europe, thus proving herself a friend in 
need. Emigration to Argentina has only just 
begun, but the future is very promising com- 
mercially, not alone on account of the cordial 
relations, but because the republic oifers a good 
market for Japanese merchandise — with a 
population of but six million, she buys and sells 
more in a year than China with her three hun- 
dred million. 

'There is a great demand for Japanese immi- 
grants in Brazil, where there is no race preju- 
dice to be encountered and much fertile land to 
be had for the asking. Brazil is a Portuguese 
country, which is especially appropriate, since 



The Growing Empire 121 

Portugal was the first to send missionaries to 
Japan, nearly three centuries ago. 

A company has been formed in Japan for 
the purpose of colonizing in Brazil, aiming to 
settle the surplus population in a country where 
it will be well treated. At least three thousand 
immigrants a year are promised by the com- 
pany, but more will be welcomed, Brazil prom- 
ising land, roads, and transportation from 
Japan. Farmers, who in their own country 
received perhaps fifteen cents a day, are able 
to save from one hundred to three hundred dol- 
lars a year to send home, while wages are stead- 
ily rising. 

A writer in a recent issue of a Brazilian 
bulletin comments on the scene at the dock when 
the first shipload of Japanese immigrants ar- 
rived. ** The spectacle was curious and very 
different to the disembarking of European im- 
migrants," he says. '^ The men, many of whom 
had their chests adorned with the Manchurian 
medal, carried little flags in which the Brazilian 
and Japanese colours were mingled, green and 
gold, white and red. The extreme cleanliness 
of the Japanese was remarkable; while Euro- 
pean emigrants, and particularly those from 
the south of Europe, leave the ship that has 
transported them in a filthy state, the cabins 



122 The Spell of Japan 

of the boat on which the Japanese travelled 
were on arrival as neat as at the time of de- 
parture. Each of them had in his baggage . . . 
numerous articles of toilet, tooth-paste, and 
tooth-brushes.'' 

As yet there is little commerce between 
Brazil and Japan, but another year will prob- 
ably see a change in this respect, for the open- 
ing of the Canal will make the route four thou- 
sand miles shorter, and the freightage, as a 
consequence, much lower. 

The Panama Canal will make a considerable 
difference in Japanese trade with the United 
States. At present her exports to our country 
are nearly double her imports from us. There 
are now two routes to New York — the quicker 
one, to San Francisco and thence by rail, the 
slower one, all the way by sea, through the Suez 
Canal; the former is expensive, while the lat- 
ter may require six months. It will be possible 
to make the trip by way of Panama in almost 
the time needed for the shorter route, but with 
the low freightage charge of the longer. 

The Canal will also facilitate trade with the 
eastern coast of South America, giving direct 
intercourse, not only with Brazil, but also with 
Argentina. At present exports to these coun- 
tries are sent via Europe and transshipped. 



The Growing Empire 123 

On account of her insular position Japan has 
always been a sea-going nation, but her ship- 
ping has increased enormously since the war 
with Russia. She now has over six thousand 
ships, manned for the most part by her own 
seamen. The question of building larger liners, 
such as are being put into commission for the 
Atlantic trade, has been discussed. At present 
the Japanese steamers which carry passengers 
are as good as the American ones, if not better. 
Instead of buying them abroad, Japan is begin- 
ning to build her own steamships — there are 
large shipyards at Nagasaki and Kobe. 

In her efforts to cope with her rapidly 
growing population and multiplying industries, 
Japan is seeking trade-openings all over the 
world. Her business men are touring the globe 
in search of them. At present she is, perhaps, 
most interested in China, which has doubled the 
amount of her annual trade in the last ten 
years. The first months of 1913 showed a gain 
of forty-six per cent, over the corresponding 
months of 1912 in exports to China, while the 
United States exceeded her previous purchases 
by only three per cent. Of the hundred thou- 
sand Japanese in the former country, nearly 
all are engaged in commercial pursuits, rather 
than in farming as they are in other parts 



124 The Spell of Japan 

of tlie world. Japan also has the advantage 
of being near this great market, and with labour 
so cheap she can easily compete with England, 
Germany, and the United States. She could 
make great profits if it were not necessary for 
her to buy most of her manufacturing machin- 
ery abroad. 

America is by far Japan's best customer. 
She sold us and our colonies over a hundred 
million dollars' worth of goods last year — 
about a third of her total exports. Inciden- 
tally, she is an excellent customer of ours, for 
she bought over thirty million dollars' worth 
of cotton alone, in 1912, and much else be- 
sides. 

Usually the Empire finds it necessary to im- 
port the raw materials and the machinery for 
their manufacture, while she exports the fin- 
ished product. Much of her Oriental trade con- 
sists in yarn and cloth; the raw material is 
brought in from China and America and sold 
again to China and India. 

In no way is the growth of Japan more 
striking than in her industries. Sixty years 
ago she had no foreign trade, for she had noth- 
ing to export. To-day Great Britain finds her 
an interesting rival. Mills and factories have 
sprung up like mushrooms, almost over night. 



The Growing Empire 125 

The conditions which accompanied this change 
and rapid development are worth noting. 

In feudal times both the arts and the indus- 
tries were carried on under the patronage of 
the nobility — the daimyo and the samurai. 
They were great lovers of beauty, these warlike 
lords; it is said that many a samurai j return- 
ing from the wars covered with glory, preferred 
the gift of an exquisite vase as a reward for 
his valour, rather than lands or decorations. 
They encouraged their subjects to make things ; 
but, more than that, to make them beautiful. 

Nevertheless, manufacturing conditions were 
very primitive. There was no division of la- 
bour, so that often a man would need to be 
skilled in several crafts in order to make a 
single article. Each man worked by himself. 
A boy inherited his father ^s trade, whether he 
liked it or not. Each trade had its guild, to 
which a worker must belong if he wished to 
be free to carry on his business. These guilds 
still exist to-day, but have far less power than 
labour unions in America or guilds in China. 

The feudal system came to an end in 1868, and 
private ownership of property began. Organ- 
ized industries appeared on a small scale : ma- 
chinery was imported from Europe and Amer- 
ica, railroads were built and factories started. 



126 The Spell of Japan 

Nine years later the first industrial exposition 
ever seen in Japan was held in Tokyo; soon 
afterward the Island Empire was sending ex- 
hibits to Europe and America to show the world 
what she could do. This, of course, resulted in 
stimulating the export trade and the manufac- 
turing of such articles as were most in demand. 

After the Chinese war, in 1895, there was a 
great boom. Old methods of private enterprise 
were no longer adequate to meet the increased 
demand. Stock companies began to be organ- 
ized. The Government itself took over certain 
forms of industry for the purpose of raising 
revenues. Improved machinery was introduced 
from the Western world, and experts were en- 
gaged. 

Since the Eusso-Japanese war industries 
have multiplied so tremendously that the de- 
mand for labour has been very great. Wages 
have gone up, and the workers have become 
much more independent. As yet, there have 
been no labour strikes of any importance ; for- 
tunately, no Gompers or McNamaras have ap- 
peared. 

For the first time in Japan women began to 
be employed. They are to be found in large 
numbers in the factories near Osaka (which is 
called the Chicago of Japan) and Kobe, as well 



The Growing Empire 127 

as in the districts near Tokyo. Most of these 
women are peasants from the provincial sec- 
tions who serve on three-year contracts. Chil- 
dren are still employed, although the Govern- 
ment does not allow them to go to work under 
twelve years of age. 

Wages in all branches of industry are still 
very low, and the cost of living is rising. But 
living conditions, even at their worst, are much 
better than with us among corresponding 
classes. Weavers, dyers, and spinners receive 
from ten to twenty cents a day, while a street- 
car conductor gets five or six dollars a month. 

The factory owners keep their employees in 
compounds, where they provide some sort of 
shelter free and charge a nominal amount for 
meals. In the older type of factory there is 
often crowding and a low standard of living, 
but in the more modern and socialistic ones 
great attention is paid to the worker's needs, 
physical, mental and moral. 

There is a fine factory in Hyogo from which 
many of our mills might well take pattern. Be- 
sides having beautiful recreation and dormi- 
tory gardens, there are rows of pretty, two- 
storied houses with tiny gardens in front of 
each. The owners also furnish a theatre for 
the use of their employees, a cooperative shop, 



128 The Spell of Japan 

a spacious hospital, and schools and kinder- 
gartens for the children. 

Japan has more than seventy cotton mills 
in operation, and can manufacture cloth as 
cheaply as any of its rivals. The home demand 
is large, since the lower classes wear only cot- 
ton the year round. Cotton towels, printed in 
blue and white, have become so popular in 
America during the last year or two that the 
export trade in them has increased enormously. 

Four years ago a boy of eighteen, Torakichi 
Inouye, succeeded to the hereditary manage- 
ment of a large towel firm in Tokyo. He real- 
ized that foreigners seemed much attracted by 
the pretty designs, and were buying them in 
surprising quantities at the shops where they 
were for sale. So he began trying them on the 
American markets, with the success that we 
have seen. To-day his factory is making two 
hundred thousand towels a day, and in ten 
months shipped over 175,000,000 pieces. He 
originated the idea of printing designs that 
could be combined into table-covers, bed- 
spreads, etc. The patterns for the towels are 
cut in paper, like a stencil, and are folded in 
between many alternate layers of the cloth. 
The indigo-blue dye is then forced through by 
means of an air-pump. 



The Growing Empire 129 

Instead of importing all their machinery, as 
formerly, the Japanese are now beginning to 
manufacture it for themselves. They get the 
foreigners to come and teach them how to build 
steamships and locomotives, and as soon as 
they have learned whatever they \vish to know 
they put their own countrymen in charge of 
the work. Although at one time there were 
many foreign engineers in different parts of 
the Empire, every year finds fewer of them 
filling important positions. This is true in 
every branch of industry. 

Inventive genius is being cultivated, too, for 
clever people are not content simply to imitate. 
A system of wireless quite different from that 
generally in use is said to have been perfected 
for the navy. Wireless telephones are used 
over short distances, and are being rapidly 
improved and extended. Quite an advance has 
been made this last year in aviation also. Ex- 
perts in both army and navy are making good 
records. 

In spite of many difficulties several thousand 
miles of railway have been built during the last 
forty years. Engineers often find it necessary 
not only to tunnel through mountains, but under 
rivers the beds of which are shifting. To make 
matters even more interesting, there are ty- 



130 The Spell of Japan 

phoons, earthquakes, and torrents of rain which 
end in floods. Notwithstanding the cost of 
building and maintaining the roads under such 
conditions, railway travel is cheaper than with 
us or in Europe. First class costs less than 
third in an English train. 

For the wherewithal to feed her people, 
Japan depends largely upon her native farmers. 
In spite of their poverty these are of a higher 
class socially than in most Western countries. 
The samurai and daimyo made much of agri- 
culture, ranking it above trade. The Govern- 
ment to-day continues to do all that it can to 
aid and encourage farming. Experiment sta- 
tions have been established, and various co- 
operative societies formed for the use of the 
farmers, who also have a special bank of their 
own. Prices are rising, and, on the whole, the 
prospects are good, although the nature of the 
land is against any great advance. The surface 
of the country is so mountainous that only 
about one-seventh can be cultivated, and that 
is not especially fertile. Sixty per cent, of the 
population is agricultural. 

Each man owns his own little farm, which he 
tills in primitive fashion, growing rice, wheat, 
or beans, according to the soil or season. Al- 
most no livestock is kept, and pastures are 



The Growing Empire 131 

rarely seen. An average farm, supporting a 
family of six, has about three and a half 
acres. 

The soya bean, which is much grown, really 
furnishes an industry in itself. It has many 
uses. Soy, the national sauce, is made from it, 
and also bean cheese. Recently an English 
chemist has discovered a method of producing 
artificial milk from it. Its oil is extracted and 
sold to foreign markets, rivalling the cotton- 
seed oil, which is better known. The pulp re- 
maining is used as fodder and fertilizer. 

Rice is the favourite crop and is of such good 
quality that much of it is exported to India, 
whence a cheaper grade is imported in return 
for the use of the poorer classes. Instead of 
forming the national diet, as we are inclined 
to suppose, rice is really such a luxury that 
many people never eat it except in sickness or 
on feast-days. 

For all the Japanese farmer is so independ- 
ent, he is often miserably poor. An acre of 
rice may in good years produce an annual profit 
of a dollar and a half, but there is quite likely 
to be a deficit instead. When one considers that 
it takes the labour of seventeen men and nine 
women to cultivate two and a half acres of 
rice, this is not surprising. Vegetables do bet- 



132 The Spell of Japan 

ter than grain, and mulberry plantations for 
the raising of silkworms do best of all, but it 
has been figured that a hard-working man, with 
very likely a large family to support, does well 
if he clears a hundred and twenty dollars in the 
course of a year. As a result of this, most of 
the peasantry are in debt, and many of them 
are leaving their farms and going to the city, 
as they are doing in our own country. 

Eeally more important than rice, of which we 
hear so much, is the sweet potato, of which we 
hear so little. The first one reached Japan 
some two hundred years ago as the gift of the 
King of the Loochoo Islands to the Lord of 
Satsuma. The latter prince was so pleased 
with the taste of it that he asked for seed- 
potatoes, and before long the Government com- 
manded that the new vegetable should be grown 
throughout the country, since it could be raised 
even in famine years, when other crops failed. 
In Tokyo there are over a thousand sweet- 
potato shops, where one buys them halved or 
sliced or whole, all hot and nicely roasted, serv- 
ing in cold weather to warm one's hands before 
delighting the inner man — or rather, child — 
for they are a delicacy much prized by children. 
There is no waste in their preparation, for not 
only are the peelings sold for horse-fodder, but 



The Grrov/ing Empire 133 

the aslies in which they are roasted are used 
again around the charcoal in the hibachi! 

The silkworm was introduced into Japan by 
a Chinese prince in 195 a. d., and a century later 
Chinese immigrants taught the people how to 
weave the new thread. To-day sericulture is 
largely carried on by the women and children 
of the farm, and is twice as productive as the 
rest of the crops. As in poultry-raising, how- 
ever, the gains are not in proportion to the 
size of the plant, the smaller ones being the 
more successful. 

The mining industries have been much slower 
to develop than most of the others, although 
they are of ancient origin. A great deal of 
metal — gold, silver and copper — was ex- 
ported during the Middle Ages. It has been 
suggested that Columbus had the gold of Japan 
in view when he set out upon the voyage which 
resulted in the discovery of America. 

Japan has been described as the missionary 
to the Far East. Certainly, whatever her mo- 
tives, her influence in Korea and Formosa has 
been most helpful. The latter island has been 
nearly freed from smallpox and other plagues, 
while its revenues have been increased six 
hundred per cent. Her influence in the liberal- 
izing of China is marked, too, although it is 



134 The Spell of Japan 

less concentrated, of course, than in the smaller 
fields. 

The Japanese have an undoubted advantage 
over other nationalities in China. Their agents 
know the language, but more than that, they 
are able to adapt themselves to native condi- 
tions of living and to '' think Chinese.'' For 
ages past China has been the godmother of 
Japan, teaching her many valuable lessons in 
art and industry. It is now only fair that the 
pupil should do what she can to help her ancient 
teacher. Naturally the form which this ex- 
pression of gratitude takes is by no means 
unprofitable commercially to the younger na- 
tion! 

*^ With regard to that part of Manchuria 
which comes under Japanese influence," writes 
a British merchant, ** the conveniences and fa- 
cilities afforded by the Japanese to one and all 
in regard to banking institutions, railway com- 
munications, postal and telegraph service are 
far and away superior to those afforded by the 
Eussian and Chinese institutions." 

It has taken Europe six hundred years to do 
what Japan has done in sixty, and if the little 
Island Nation has left a few things undone, or 
has made mistakes and perhaps gone too far 
in some directions, it is not surprising. The 



The Growing Empire 135 

marvel is that with the thrill and bustle of 
modern business life she has kept so much of 
the ancient charm and delight as to make us 
even to-day feel the witchery of her Spell. 




CHAPTER VII 

A YEAR OF FESTIVALS 

OST important and most generally 
observed of all Japanese festivals is 
the New Year, the holiday season 
lasting for about two weeks. The 
most striking feature to us was the varied dec- 
orations of the gates, which were adorned with 
a collection of emblems of one kind and another, 
producing an effect unique in the extreme, even 
if their significance was unknown. These dec- 
orations are put up before Christmas in the 
case of the foreigners, but those in front of the 
native houses are not completed until New 
Year, and remain in place throughout the holi- 
days. 

A large number of apparently incongruous 
articles are used in ornamenting Japanese 
homes for the New Year, and not until we learn 
the symbolic meaning of each one of these can 
we understand their use. They range from 
bamboo, ferns, oranges, pine-trees and branches 
of yusuri-tree to paper bags, straw ropes, bits 
of charcoal, seaweed and even lobsters, incom- 

136 



A Year of Festivals 137 

prehensible as it may seem to the Western mind 
that some of these objects should have any sig- 
nificance whatever. 

As you enter a house you discover, stretched 
from post to post of the gateway above your 
head, a thick, twisted rope — the nawa — with 
the following emblems suspended from it : first, 
the yehi — lobster — whose bent back is the 
symbol of long life, suggesting the hope that he 
who passes beneath may not die until time has 
bowed his back in like manner. Surrounding 
the lobster, as a frame to its brilliant scarlet, 
are the yusuri branches, on which the young 
leaves are budding while the old have not as 
yet fallen, significant of the several generations 
of the family within. Almost hidden by the 
lobster and directly in the centre of the nawa, 
are perhaps the prettiest of all the emblems, 
two dainty fern-fronds, symbolical of the hap- 
piness and unity of wedded life, and carefully 
placed between the two, a budding leaflet em- 
blematic of fruitfulness. 

From Japanese mythology we learn the sig- 
nificance of the nawa — the rope of rice straw. 
Ama-terasu, the Sun-Goddess, in terror of her 
brother, Susa-no-o, fled to a cave, from which 
she refused to come forth. Then the Eighty 
Myriads of Gods took counsel as to how they 



138 The Spell of Japan 

might induce her to bestow upon them the light 
of her face once more. They decided to give 
a wonderful entertainment, introduced by the 
songs of thousands of birds. Ama-terasu came 
out, curious to know the meaning of these 
sounds, daylight returned, and the gods 
stretched a barrier across the mouth of the 
cavern in order that she might never retreat 
to it again. The nawa represents this obstacle, 
and wherever it hangs, the sweetness of spring 
is supposed to enter. 

But one may ask, what is the connection be- 
tween the New Year and the coming of spring? 
According to the old Japanese calendar, the 
year began at any time between January six- 
teenth and February nineteenth, so it came, as 
a rule, at least a month later than with us, and 
the idea of spring was always associated with 
the New Year. Although spring arrives in 
Tokyo about the time it does in Washington, 
January first is far enough from any sugges- 
tion of buds and flowers: but the Japanese 
keep the old associations and call the first fort- 
night of the year ** spring-advent " and the 
second fortnight '^ the rains." 

The mention of spring suggests a charming 
stanza by an anonymous Japanese poet, which 
I give in Professor Chamberlain's translation; 



A Year of Festivals 139 

" Spring, spring has come, while yet the landscape bears 
Its fleec3^ burden of unmelted snow! 
Now may the zephyr gently 'gin to blow, 
To melt the nightingale's sweet frozen tears." 

That the gods may not be forgotten, propi- 
tiatory offerings in the shape of twisted pieces 
of paper cut diagonally — gohei, meaning puri- 
fication — are attached at intervals along the 
nawa, looking for all the world like the horns 
stuck in the hair in the children's game of 
^' Horned Lady.'' Setting off the scarlet hue 
of the lobster, on either side is placed a daidai, 
— a kind of orange — expressing the hope that 
the family pedigree may flourish. The rather 
incongruous piece of charcoal — sumi, meaning 
homestead — comes next, and gently waving to 
and fro beneath the oranges may be seen strips 
of seaweed — Jconhu — signifying rejoicing. 

On either side of the gateway stands the 
guardian pine-tree, indicative of long life, sup- 
porting the nawa, which is about six feet in 
length — on the right the me-matsu (the red 
pine), and on the left the 0-matsu (the honour- 
able black pine). Behind, giving grace and 
dainty freshness to the whole, nod and sway 
the exquisite feathery branches of the bamboo, 
typical of health and strength. The full list 
of symbols is not always seen, as the task and 



140 The Spell of Japan 

the purse of the individual are both consulted 
before deciding upon his gateway decorations. 
But even among the poorest there is never a 
doorway wholly unadorned ; the omission would 
be sure to bring harm to the householder and 
misfortune to his friends, and the gods unpro- 
pitiated would look frowningly down during the 
year. Although two diminutive pine-trees be- 
fore a house may be all that can be afforded, the 
dweller within feels as securely guarded against 
harm in the coming year as if the whole panoply 
of emblems were waving over his humble door- 
way. 

The pine-trees remind me of Basho's epigram 
on New Year decorations, beautifully trans- 
lated by E. W. Clement: 

" At every door 
The pine-trees stand: 
One mile-post more 
To the spirit-land; 
And as there's gladness, 
So there's sadness." 

Much brighter colours are worn at the New 
Year than at other times, and presents are 
exchanged. The older people make gifts of 
dwarf trees, while the children give one another 
dolls and kites, and games of battledore and 
shuttlecock, which one sees both old and young 



A Year of Festivals 141 

playing in the streets. The small, stocky horses 
that drag the carts with their picturesque loads 
are adorned with streamers of mauve and lemon 
and rose in honour of the first drive of the 
year, and many of the carts carry flags and 
lanterns on bamboo poles, so that the streets 
are very gay. Tokyo is especially gay the last 
evening of the old year, because a matsuri, or 
fair, is held in the principal street, with little 
booths illuminated by lanterns, where any one 
who is in debt can sell his belongings in order 
to pay all he owes and begin the New Year 
fairly. 

Small groups go from house to house, carry- 
ing the strange lion-dog's head, which they put 
through various antics, while they dance and 
sing in order to drive away evil spirits. (The 
lion-dog is a mythical animal borrowed from 
the Chinese.) They are usually rewarded by 
the owner with a few pennies. People go about 
on New Year's Day, stopping at the doorways 
of their friends to say: ** May you be as old 
as the pine and as strong as the bamboo, may 
the stork make nests in your chimney and the 
turtle crawl over your floor.'' The turtle and 
the stork symbolize long life. 

Part of the preparation for the New Year 
festival consists in the annual house-cleaning. 



142 The Spell of Japan 

This custom is kept up to-day, and is carried 
out even in foreign houses. Under the old 
regime, we are told, officials of the Shogun's 
Court sent overseers carrying dusters on long 
poles to superintend the work and thrust their 
brooms into cracks and corners where dust 
might be left undisturbed by careless servants, 
at the same time making mystic passes with 
their poles to form the Chinese character for 
water. The merchants, too, have their ** big 
cleaning," when all their wares are tossed out 
into the street. As one of the Japanese poets 
has said: 

" Lo, house-cleaning is here; 
Gods of Buddha and Shinto 
Are jumbled together 
All on the grass! " 

One of the most attractive customs associated 
with the New Year is that of placing under the 
little wooden pillows of the children a picture 
of the TaJcara-bune, the Treasure Ship, with the 
Seven Gods of Good Fortune on board. This 
ship is said to come into port on New Year's 
Eve and to bring a wonderful cargo, among 
other rare things being the Lucky Eain-Coat, 
the Inexhaustible Purse, the Sacred Key and 
the Hat of Invisibility. This is the Japanese 



A Year of Festivals 143 

interpretation of our expression, " When my 
ship comes in.*' 

At the Embassy the observance of New 
Year's Eve was a mixture of American and 
Japanese customs. We invited all the unmar- 
ried members of the Staff, and after visiting 
the matsuri we returned to the Embassy, and 
as the clock struck twelve we passed a loving 
bowl, and all joined hands and sang songs. 
Then, as the passing year was the year of the 
cock, and 1913 was the year of the bullock, some 
one crowed a good-bye to the rooster of 1912, 
and some one else mooed like a bullock as a 
welcome to the newcomer, and we had a very 
jolly time. 

But New Year's Day itself is not without its 
religious and ceremonial observances. Every 
man is obliged to rise at the hour of the tiger 
— the early hour of four o 'clock — and put on 
new clothes. Then he worships the gods, does 
homage to the spirits of his ancestors, and 
offers congratulations to his parents and the 
older members of the family. All this must be 
done before he can breakfast. 

The first repast of the year is in every sense 
symbolic. The tea is made with water drawn 
from the well as the first ray of the sun touches 
it. The principal dish is a compound of six 



144 The Spell of Japan 

ingredients, which are always the same, al- 
though the proportions may be varied. A spe- 
cial kind of saJce is drunk from a red lacquer 
cup in order to ensure good health for the com- 
ing year. In addition to these things, there is 
always an *' elysian stand" — a red lacquer 
tray, covered with evergreen yusuri leaves and 
bearing a lobster, a rice dumpling, dried sar- 
dines, and herring roe, also oranges, persim- 
mons and chestnuts, much as in a ^* lucky bag." 
All these articles of food are in some way em- 
blematic of long life and happiness, and the 
stand itself represents the chief of the three 
islands of Chinese mythology, where all the 
birds and animals are white, where mountains 
and palaces are of gold, and where youth is 
eternal. 

New Year calls are as much a part of the 
celebration in Japan as in the Western world. 
Originally, these were genuine visits, and the 
** elysian stand " was set before the guests for 
their refreshment, but among the higher classes 
the calls are now the most conventional of 
affairs, in which the visitor simply writes his 
name in a book or leaves a card in a basket, 
often without being received by the householder 
at all. The caller leaves also a little gift of 
some sort — such as a basket of oranges, a 



A Year of Festivals 145 

bunch of dried seaweed, or a box of sweetmeats 
: — wrapped in a neat package and tied with a 
red and gold cord in a butterfly knot. A fin- 
ishing touch is given to the parcel by a sprig 
of green in a quiver-shaped envelope tucked 
under the knot. 

The seventh of January was the proper time 
to go out into the fields and gather seven com- 
mon plants, among which were dandelion, chick- 
weed and shepherd's purse. These were boiled 
with rice and eaten for health, strength and 
good luck. 

Originally, the Japanese had no weekly day 
of rest and recreation, but in recent years the 
Sabbath has been made an official rest-day, to 
be observed by all in government employ. The 
mass of the people, however, bring up their 
average of holidays by other occasions. There 
are during the year ten or twelve special feasts 
which are always observed — the Emperor's 
birthday, or when he eats first of the season's 
rice crop, or makes a pilgrimage to the shrines 
of his mythological ancestors, and other sim- 
ilar events, are all made the occasion of a na- 
tional holiday and popular rejoicing. Besides, 
every section of a city or district in the country 
has a little matsuri every day or two, and these, 
of course, are held holiday, but it must be re- 



146 The Spell of Japan 

membered that many of the festivals mentioned 
in this chapter belonged to Old Japan, and are 
dying out to-day. 

Some festivals take the names of animals, 
such as the Horse Day, and the years are also 
named after animals, 1914 being the year of the 
tiger. The Fox Temple Festival is well known, 
when the people pray for good crops. Among 
other holidays are the Lucky Day, the seventh 
day of the seventh month, when two planets 
are in conjunction, and the first day of the 
eighth month. Certain prescribed flowers and 
plants are used on each of these occasions. 
Any important date, such as that on which a 
young man comes of age, or an official is pro- 
moted in rank, is also made a festal day. 

The twenty-eighth day of every month is 
observed by the Japanese, but more generally 
in the first month than in any other, in order 
to begin the New Year properly. We went to 
a Buddhist temple in Uyeno Park, where they 
beg the god of luck to protect them and keep 
them from misfortune throughout the year. 
Before entering the temple, as is always done, 
they purify themselves by washing their hands 
and scattering little offerings of money done 
up in paper. On account of some ancient cus- 
tom, money is much more valued in Japan if 



A Year of Festivals 147 

wrapped in paper. Candles are lighted, and 
priests sitting cross-legged with their backs 
to the audience read from sacred books. A 
holy fire is kindled, and each worshipper buys 
a hundred tapers and walks from the fire to 
the shrine, praying, I suppose, for they seem 
to be saying something. As they reach the fire 
again, they throw a taper into it, and repeat 
the ceremony till all are gone. Surrounding the 
temple are little booths, where toys are for sale 
and gay lanterns and good things to eat and 
drink are displayed, so that when the prayers 
have been offered, the people can enjoy them- 
selves in feasting, watching the jugglers at 
their tricks, or making small purchases at the 
booths. 

On the night of February third, distant 
shouts were heard at the Embassy. Upon in- 
quiring what the noise was about, I was told 
that this was called "" Bean Night," when the 
servants in most houses throw beans out into 
the garden, crying, * ' Demons go out, luck come 
in." As I passed a temple that evening, I saw 
crowds of people, and noticed some Shinto or 
Buddhist priests doing a religious dance. 

The third of March is the Dolls' Festival, the 
great day of the year for little girls. At all 
times of the year the Japanese have miniature 



148 The Spell of Japan 

belongings for children which are very attract- 
ive, but just before this festival the shops are 
even prettier than at Christmas in America, 
and the windows are always arranged either to 
show the No dance — two figures in curious 
dress in front of a gold screen with pine-tree 
decorations — or the Emperor and Empress. 
These dolls are placed on the top shelf with 
a screen behind and a canopy overhead to sug- 
gest a palace. Although for twenty years or 
more the Emperor has generally appeared in 
uniform on State occasions, and the Empress 
has been gowned in the latest Parisian style, 
these Imperial dolls wear flowing robes and 
have strange crowns upon their heads, the Em- 
peror, too, having his hair curiously arranged ; 
and they sit in Japanese fashion on a raised 
platform. On the shelf below are ladies-in- 
waiting, then follow musicians, lanterns and 
articles of food down the steps in order, all 
very tiny and perfectly made. 

For a picture of this festival as it is kept 
even to-day I borrow from Miss Alice M. 
Bacon's ^' Japanese Girls and Women," only 
adding that I was so delighted with the toys 
myself that I bought many of them, and with 
the aid of Watanabe set them up in proper 
order at the Embassy : 



A Year of Festivals 149 

*^ It was my privilege," says Miss Bacon, 
*^ to be present at the Feast of Dolls in the 
house of one of the Tokugawa daimyos, a house 
in which the old forms and ceremonies were 
strictly observed, and over which the wave of 
foreign innovation had passed so slightly that 
even the calendar still remained unchanged, and 
the feast took place upon the third day of the 
third month of the old «Japanese year, instead 
of on the third day of March, which is the usual 
time for it now. At this house, where the dolls 
had been accumulating for hundreds of years, 
five or six broad, red-covered shelves, perhaps 
twenty feet long or more, were completely filled 
with them and with their belongings. The Em- 
peror and Empress appeared again and again, 
as well as the ^ve Court musicians, and the 
tiny furnishings and utensils were wonderfully 
costly and beautiful. Before each Emperor and 
Empress was set an elegant lacquered table 
service — tray, bowls, cups, sake pots, rice bas- 
kets, etc., all complete — and in each utensil 
was placed the appropriate variety of food. 
The sake used on this occasion is a sweet, white 
liquor, brewed especially for this feast, as dif- 
ferent from the ordinary sake as sweet cider is 
from the hard cider upon which a man may 
drink himself into a state of intoxication. Be- 



150 The Spell of Japan 

sides the table service, everything that an Im- 
perial doll can be expected to need or desire 
is placed upon the shelves. Lacquered nori- 
mono, or palanquins; lacquered bullock carts, 
drawn by bow-legged black bulls — these were 
the conveyances of the great in Old Japan, and 
these, in minute reproductions, are placed upon 
the red-covered shelves. Tiny silver and brass 
hihachi, or fire-boxes, are there, with their 
accompanying tongs and charcoal baskets — 
whole kitchens, with everything required for 
cooking the finest of Japanese feasts, as finely 
made as if for actual use; all the necessary 
toilet apparatus — combs, mirrors, utensils for 
blackening the teeth, for shaving the eyebrows, 
for reddening the lips and whitening the face 
— all these things are there to delight the souls 
of all the little girls who may have the oppor- 
tunity to behold them. For three days the Im- 
perial effigies are served sumptuously at each 
meal, and the little girls of the family take 
pleasure in serving the Imperial Majesties; 
but when the feast ends, the dolls and their 
belongings are packed away in their boxes, and 
lodged in the fireproof warehouse for another 
year. ' ' 

As we may well believe from the tenderness 
with which it is treated, the Japanese doll is 



A Year of Festivals 151 

not simply a plaything but a means of teaching 
a girl to be a good wife and mother. It is never 
abused, but is so well cared for that it may be 
in use for a hundred years. Certain large dolls, 
representing children two or three years old, 
were formerly believed to contain human souls, 
and it was thought that if they were not well 
treated they would bring ill luck upon their 
owners. 

A story is told of a maid who was much dis- 
turbed by dreams of a one-armed figure — the 
ghost of a girl or woman — which haunted her 
bed at night. These visitations were repeated 
so many times that she decided to leave the 
place, but her master prevailed upon her to 
stay until he had made a thorough search of 
her room. Sure enough, in the corner of a cup- 
board shelf, he came upon an old one-armed 
doll, left there by a former servant. The 
doll's arms were repaired, it was honourably 
put away, and the restless little ghost was 
laid. 

Lafcadio Heam says, '* I asked a charming 
Japanese girl : * How can a doll live? ' ^ Why,' 
she answered, ' if you love it enough, it will 
live.' " 

But as all things earthly must have an end, 
so even a Japanese doll at last comes to the 



152 The Spell of Japan 

close of its life. It is lovingly cared for even 
then, is not thrown away, is not buried, but is 
consecrated to Kojin, a god with many arms. 
A little shrine and a torii are erected in front 
of the enoki-treey in which Kojin is supposed 
to live, and here the doll finds its last resting- 
place. 

On the eighth of April is celebrated the re- 
ligious festival known as the Baptism of Bud- 
dha, when crowds assemble at all the temples, 
and pour amacJia, or sweet tea, over the statue 
of Buddha. In the centre of a small shrine 
set up for the occasion is the image, adorned 
with flowers and surrounded by small ladles to 
be used by the worshippers. The right hand 
of the image is uplifted toward heaven and the 
left pointed downward toward the earth, ^^ in 
interpretation of the famous utterance attrib- 
uted to Buddha at birth : * Through all the 
heights of heaven and all the depths of earth, 
I alone am worthy of veneration.' " 

The ceremony is said to have originated in 
the effort to interpret the meaning of the sutra 
— a Buddhist text — called Wash-Buddha-Vir- 
tuous-Action sutra. In this we are told that 
** a disciple once asked Buddha how best to 
enjoy the virtue ascribed to the Master both 
in heaven a^d on earth.*' The answer was in 



A Year of Festivals 153 

substance that the worshipper would find peace 
by pouring a perfumed liquid over Buddha's 
statue, and then sprinkling it upon his own 
head. While performing the ceremony, the 
devotee must repeat the golden text, '^ Now 
that we have washed our sacred Lord Buddha 
clean, we pray that our own sins, both physical 
and spiritual, may be cleansed away, and the 
same we pray for all men." This festival is 
an especial favourite with children, who throng 
the temples, each one throwing a small copper 
coin into the shrine and deluging the god with 
sweet tea, which is usually a decoction of liq- 
uorice and sugar in water. 

At the Boys' Festival, on the fifth of May, 
over every house where a boy has been born 
during the year a bamboo pole is set up, from 
which flies a paper carp, the fish moving in the 
breeze as if ascending a stream. The carp is 
the boldest of fish in braving the rapids, so to 
Japanese boys he symbolizes ambitious stri- 
ving. In every household where there are sons 
the favourite heroes of olden time are set out 
in the alcove of honour of the guest-room. 
Among them will be seen the figure of an archer 
clothed from head to foot in gay armour, with 
a huge bow in his hand and a quiver full of 
arrows on his back. This is Yorimasa, the 



154 The Spell of Japan 

famous knight, who was the greatest archer of 
his time. On this day, too, pride of family and 
veneration for ancestors are inculcated by 
bringing out the antique dishes, the old armour 
and the other heirlooms that during the rest 
of the year are stored in the godown. 

The Gion Festival, on the seventh of June, in 
honour of the mythical Prince Susa-no-o-no- 
mikoto and his consort. Princess Inada, and 
their son, Prince Yahashira, is famed for its 
magnificent procession, in which the car of the 
god is drawn. In the centre of the car is a 
figure attired in rich brocades; in front is a 
beautiful youth, who is accompanied by other 
boys, all wearing crowns; at the back is the 
orchestra that furnishes music for the proces- 
sion. This display is witnessed by crowds of 
people, who throng the Shijo Eoad, in Kyoto, 
where it occurs. 

In ancient times it was customary to atone 
for a crime by shaving the head and cutting 
the nails of the fingers and toes. This custom 
has now been modified to a sort of vicarious 
atonement, called harai. Gohei, which in this 
case is cut in the shape of a human figure, is 
rubbed on the body of the evil-doer in order 
that it may take his sins, and is then thrown 
into the stream and carried away. Eepentant 



A Year of Festivals 155 

sinners obtain harai from the priests of Shinto 
temples. 

This ceremony, which occurs in June and is 
called the Festival of the Misogi, is referred 
to in the following old song : 

" Up Nara's stream 

The evening wind is blowing; 

Down Nara's stream 
The Misogi is going: 

So Summer has come, I know! " 

A festival of fairy-land is the Itsukushima^ 
celebrated at Miyajima, on the Inland Sea, from 
the fifteenth to the seventeenth of June. Bril- 
liant decorations are everywhere — on the long 
avenue by which the shrine is approached, and 
over the water, where bamboo-trees have been 
set up, and flags and lanterns are hung from 
them. Musicians in three boats furnish music 
for the assembled crowds. The place is 
thronged by thousands on the last day of the 
festival, when the boats with the musicians are 
stationed under the great torii, and the sweet 
sounds floating over the water and the myriad 
lights reflected in the sea make the scene one 
of indescribable enchantment. 

On the seventh of July occurs the Tanahata 
Matsuri, or Festival of the Stars, which, like 



156 The Spell of Japan 

so many other Japanese customs, was intro- 
duced from China. A charming nature myth 
tells us that beside the East River of Heaven, 
the Milky Way, lived the fair Princess Tana- 
bata, who was known to the human race as the 
star Vega. She was a weaver by profession. 
As she was obliged to marry in order to fulfill 
her destiny. Heaven chose for her the great 
male star, Kengyu (Aquila), whose abode was 
on the West River. In her happiness the Prin- 
cess forgot her weaving; whereat Heaven was 
so displeased that she was sent back in dis- 
grace to the East River, and ever after was 
allowed to see her husband only once a year. 
All devout Japanese pray for fine weather on 
July seventh, as that is the date on which the 
unfortunate lovers meet; for, if even a few 
drops of rain fall, the East River will rise above 
its banks and prevent the Princess from cross- 
ing to her waiting spouse. 

On the evening of this day, the young maidens 
of the family lay a straw matting in the garden, 
and place on it a table with fruits and cakes 
as offerings to the two stars. Then they pre- 
sent their petitions for themselves and their 
true loves. Some pray for long life and a large 
family; others set up a bamboo pole, on which 
they hang a piece of embroidery as an emblem 



A Year of Festivals 157 

of their desire for skill in needlework; still 
others attach to the pole pieces of paper, on 
which are written the poems they bring in 
praise of the heavenly couple. This festival 
has scant observance in large cities. 

Touched with a peculiar tenderness and pa- 
thos is the Festival of the Dead, observed from 
the thirteenth to the fifteenth of July. In every 
house new mats of rice straw are laid before 
the little shrines, and a tiny meal is set out for 
the spirits of the departed. When evening 
comes, the streets are brilliant with flaming 
torches, and lanterns are hung in every door- 
way. Those whose friends have only lately left 
them make this night a true memorial to their 
dead, going out to the cemeteries, where they 
offer prayers, burn incense, light lanterns and 
fill bamboo vases with the flowers they have 
brought. On the evening of the third day the 
Ghosts of the Circle of Penance are fed, and 
those who have no friends living to remember 
them. Then on every streamlet, every river, 
lake and bay of Japan — except in the largest 
seaports, where it is now forbidden — appear 
fleets of tiny boats, bearing gifts of food and 
loving farewells. The light of a miniature lan- 
tern at its bow and blue wreaths of smoke from 
burning incense mark the course of each little 



158 The Spell of Japan 

vessel. In these fairy craft the spirits take 
their departure for the land of the hereafter. 

In September occurs the Moon Festival, 
which appears to have no religious significance 
whatever, but to be simply an occasion for 
enjoying the beauty of the moon. It was doubt- 
less borrowed from the Chinese in the eighth 
century, and is still celebrated in some places. 
The ancient Chinese, however, observed it in 
solemn fashion, going to the top of some pagoda 
and writing poems about the Queen of the 
Night, but the Japanese of olden times com- 
bined with pure aesthetic enjoyment the pleas- 
ures of actual feasting. They used to gather 
in the garden of some restaurant by a lake or 
river, where a banquet of rice dumplings, boiled 
potatoes and beans was set out, and enjoyed 
at the same time the good food and the scene 
before them. 

Also in September is the Ayaha Festival, in 
honour of the two Chinese women who first 
taught weaving to the Japanese, many cen- 
turies ago. These teachers died in Septem- 
ber, and on the seventeenth of that month cot- 
ton and hempen fabrics are offered to their 
spirits at the shrines built in their honour. 

At the temple of the goddess Amaterasu- 
Omikami, near Shiba Park, Tokyo, the Shinmei 



A Year of Festivals 159 

Feast is observed from the eleventh to the 
twenty-first of September. This is especially 
the time to offer the petition, *^ God, make 
clean our hearts within us,'* hence much ginger 
is sold, the plant being supposed to prevent 
impurity. A sweetmeat called ame is sold in 
cypress-wood baskets, curved like the roofs of 
ancient shrines. Cypress is held sacred because 
the roof-trees of old shrines were made of it, 
and is supposed to have the power of warding 
off diseases. 

One of the most curious of all Japanese fes- 
tivals is the Laughing Festival of Wasa, cele- 
brated in October. A procession is formed of 
old men carrying boxes full of oranges and 
persimmons impaled on sharpened sticks, fol- 
lowed by children with the same kinds of fruits 
on bamboo rods. On reaching the shrine, the 
leader turns round and makes up a comical face, 
which is greeted with shouts of laughter. 

According to the legend, the gods, once upon 
a time, met in the great temple at Izumo to 
consider the love affairs of the kingdom.. When 
all were seated, one alone, Miwa-Daimyo-jin, 
was missing, and although search was made, he 
could not be found. Now, this god was so deaf 
that he had misunderstood the day appointed 
for the assembly, and he appeared at Izumo 



160 The Spell of Japan 

only after all was over. The Laughing Festi- 
val commemorates the laughter of the gods 
when they heard of poor Miwa-Daimyo-jin's 
mistake. 

Another October celebration is held in mem- 
ory of Nichiren, called the Luther of Japan, 
who endeavoured to purify Buddhism from the 
superstitions that had crept into it. He was 
the founder of the sect named for him. On 
October thirteenth great numbers of his disci- 
ples assemble at Ikegami, the place of his death, 
near Tokyo, carrying lanterns and banners, and 
reciting a sutra in concert. 

A curious feast is observed by merchants on 
the twentieth of October in honour of Ebisu, 
one of the seven gods of good luck, who is espe- 
cially the guardian genius of tradesmen. They 
invite their friends and relatives to a banquet, 
upon which a large picture of the god looks 
down from the wall. Fishes, called tai, are laid 
before this picture as offerings, and are also 
eaten by the guests. After the feast has pro- 
ceeded a little way, sport begins. Perhaps one 
of the guests starts an auction of the dishes 
before him, his companions bidding up to thou- 
sands of yen^ the joke continuing until it runs 
itself out. This little buying and selling epi- 

1 The yen is fifty cents. 



A Year of Festivals 161 

sode is to emphasize the fact that it is a mer- 
chants' festival that is being celebrated. 

The present Emperor's birthday is the thirty- 
first of August, but henceforth it is to be cele- 
brated on the thirty-first of October, which 
brings it very near to the third of November, 
the late Emperor's birthday, so long a holiday 
all over Japan. Although this is one of the 
annual festivities, the celebration is so largely 
official and diplomatic that I have described it 
among Court Functions. 

The fall matsuri in Tokyo is held early in 
November at the Shokonsha, a temple sacred 
to the memory of the patriots who have given 
their lives for their country. It is especially 
a soldiers' festival, and is the occasion when 
the garrison comes in a body to worship at this 
shrine. The troops form by divisions in front 
of the temple and salute, presenting arms while 
the bugles sound a sacred call. Afterward 
the soldiers have a race-meeting on a half-mile 
track, which is made very amusing by the 
rivalry between the different divisions and the 
mad careerings of the little horses. This is a 
large matsuri, and the booths of peddlers and 
mountebanks line the streets for blocks. 

November eighth is the day of the Fuigo 
Matsuri, when thanks are returned to the god 



162 The Spell of Japan 

of fire, who invented the bellows — Fuigo mean- 
ing bellows. As the centre of the worship of 
this god is in Kyoto, it is observed to a greater 
extent there than elsewhere, beginning in a cu- 
rious way, by opening the windows before sun- 
rise and throwing out quantities of oranges to 
the children who are always waiting outside. 

The Japanese counterpart of our New Eng- 
land Thanksgiving occurs the twenty-third of 
November, when the Emperor is the chief cele- 
brant, making an offering of the new rice of the 
year before the shrine of his ancestors, and in 
behalf of the nation uttering a prayer of thanks- 
giving and a plea for protection. After pre- 
senting this offering His Majesty partakes of 
a sacred feast, consisting of the first fruits of 
the year, and the next day he invites the high- 
est officials of the State to a grand banquet at 
the palace. 

Near the end of December comes the Kamado- 
harai, Feast of the Oven. The hamado is the 
fire-box on which the food is cooked, and it has 
a god of its own. As the year draws to a close, 
the god of the hamado carries to heaven a re- 
port of the conduct of the household during the 
twelve months. So the priests are called in to 
pray the oven-god that he will give as favour- 
able an account as possible. As modern stoves 



A Year of Festivals 163 

are now taking the place of the old kaniado to 
some extent, this feast is less observed in the 
larger cities than in the country districts. 

At a shrine in Shimonoseki the festival of 
Wakamegari-no Shinji is observed on the 
thirty-first of December. A flight of stone steps 
leads through a stone torii down into the sea 
far below the lowest tide-mark. The Shinto 
priests, in full robes, are obliged to descend 
these steps on the feast-day until they reach 
and cut some of the seaweed {waJcame), which 
they offer at the temple the next day. Japanese 
legend relates that the Empress Jingo sailed 
from this spot to the conquest of Korea, bearing 
two jewels that were given her by the god of 
this shrine. When off the Korean coast, she 
threw one jewel into the water, and a flood tide 
at once bore her ships high up on the shore; 
then she tossed the other gem into the waves, 
and the swift ebbing of the tide left the fleet 
safely stranded. 




CHAPTER Vin 

CULTS AND SHRINES 

" He that practiseth righteousness receiveth a blessing; 
it Cometh as surely as the shadow followeth the man." 

HE quotation at the head of this chap- 
ter is of especial interest, because it re- 
minds one so much of a precept from 
the Bible. It is taken from a little 
Japanese text-book of ethics, which is ascribed 
to a Buddhist abbot of the ninth century. 

There are two distinct but perfectly harmoni- 
ous forms of non-Christian belief in Japan to- 
day — Shinto and Buddhism — which dovetail 
so well that each one contributes something of 
value to the Japanese character. The Confu- 
cian philosophy, also, had its share in devel- 
oping BusJiido, the ** Soul of the People." 

Shinto is the native religion of Japan, and 
both because it is so little known outside of that 
country and because a study of it goes so far 
to explain many national characteristics, it 
seems worth while to consider it at some length. 
The word Shinto may be translated as the Way 
of the Gods, and defined in brief as a worship 

164 



Cults and Shrines 165 

of ancestors, especially of the Emperor and his 
forebears. Human beings are believed to be 
the children of the sunshine, and sin is hardly 
recognized. 

Shinto is a combination of primitive instincts. 
It is based on hero worship, and it has myriads 
of deities, who live in every conceivable object, 
from the spirit of the sewing-needle to the gods 
of thunder and lightning, or of the sun, moon 
and stars. ** The weakness of Shinto," says 
Dr. Nitobe, the eloquent exponent of Japanese 
beliefs, ^' lies in the non-recognition of human 
frailty, of sin." The sum total of its moral 
teaching is this, *^ Be pure in heart and body." 

The Shinto idea seems to be that it is only 
necessary to act out the natural impulses of 
the heart in order to be pure. But where there 
is no sense of sin, there can be no consciousness 
of need, no incentive to higher things. Shinto 
lacks ideals. It allies itself with the practical 
affairs of every-day life, inculcating industry 
and personal cleanliness, some of its sects 
even prescribing mountain-climbing and ab- 
dominal respiration as religious duties. But, 
as it has no theology, it offers no explanation 
of the great problems of the universe; and, 
having no sacred writings, it has no authority 
on which to base a system of ethics. Theology 



166 The Spell of Japan 

and the spiritual element in religion came to 
Japan with Buddhism; while ethics was the 
gift of Confucianism. 

The first sign of a Shinto temple is the 
torii This peculiar gateway, though originally 
erected only by the Shintoists, has been adopted 
by the Buddhists, who have changed it by turn- 
ing up the corners of the top beam and adding 
inscriptions and ornament. Passing under the 
torii you stand before the huge gate, generally 
painted red, guarded by wooden figures, or 
keepers. These are supposed to be Ni-o — two 
gigantic and fierce kings — and they occupy a 
sort of cage with wire in front, that stands on 
either side of the entrance. Every worshipper 
makes a wish as he enters the temple, and 
throws at the kings little wads of paper pre- 
cisely like the spitballs of school children. If 
the wads go through the wire, the wishes are 
supposed to come true. 

The temple itself stands in a courtyard inside 
the gate, and is rather plain and undecorated, 
much like Japanese houses. A flight of steps 
leads up to a balcony on the front, there is mat- 
ting upon the floor inside, and an altar in the 
centre supports a big bronze vase, which usually 
contains pieces of gold paper, called gohei. A 
mirror is the most important article in a Shinto 









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Cults and Shrines 167 

shrine, the idea being that it is a symbol of the 
human heart, which should reflect the image of 
Deity as the glass reflects the face of the wor- 
shipper. The mirror is not found in the tem- 
ples of merely local divinities, but only in those 
sacred to the Sun-Goddess herself, and even 
there is not exposed to view. Wrapped in a 
series of brocade bags — another being added 
as each in turn wears out — and kept in a box 
of cypress wood, which is enclosed in a wooden 
cage under silken coverings, the mirror itself 
is never visible to the eyes of the curious. 

Two famous Shinto shrines — at Ise and Kit- 
zuki — are especially revered on account of 
their great age. Kitzuki is so ancient that no 
one knows when it was founded. According to 
tradition, the first temple was built by direct 
command of the Sun-Goddess herself, in the 
days when none but gods existed. The ap- 
proach to the sacred enclosure is most imposing. 
A beautiful avenue, shaded by huge trees and 
spanned by a series of gigantic torii, leads from 
a magnificent bronze torii at the entrance to 
the massive wall that surrounds the temple 
courts. Within are groves and courts and im- 
mense buildings. The people are not admitted 
to the great shrine itself, but offer their peti- 
tions before the Haiden, or Hall of Prayer. 



168 The Spell of Japan 

Each pilgrim throws money into the box before 
the door, claps his hands four times, bows his 
head, and remains for a few minutes, then 
passes out. So many thousands throng this 
court that — to borrow Hearn's figure — the 
sound of their clapping is like the surf break- 
ing on the shore. 

'Although the shrine at Kitzuki is the oldest, 
the temples at Ise are more venerated. The 
inner shrine itself is a plain wooden building 
set within successive courts, but stately cryp- 
tomerias and the most magnificent camphor 
groves in all Japan give the place an unusual 
air of grandeur and sanctity. 

Wedding and funeral customs are extremely 
interesting. They have both the religious and 
the civil marriage in Japan. To make it legal, 
the parents must sign in the register. Mar- 
riages in Shinto temples have been unusual 
until recently, as they have generally taken 
place in the home. The custom is changing 
now, and temple weddings are becoming more 
frequent. Funeral customs are changing also. 
Formerly it was always the Buddhist priest 
who conducted the burial service, now the aris- 
tocrats are interred according to Shinto rites. 

At a wedding that we witnessed in a Shinto 
temple the couple first listened to a sermon by 



Cults and Shrines 169 

the priest, then they were given tapers at the 
altar. The bride lighted her candle first, and 
the bridegroom lighted his from hers. After 
this the two tapers were put together in such a 
way that they burned as one, symbolizing the 
perfect unity of wedded life. The bride was 
handsomely dressed — the ohis for these occa- 
sions sometimes cost over one hundred dollars 
— and wore the headdress with horns, half hid- 
den by a veil called the ** horn-hider." This 
name would seem to refer to the Buddhist text, 
** A woman's exterior is that of a saint, but 
her heart is that of a demon. ' ' After the mar- 
riage ceremony, the bridal party was photo- 
graphed in the temple courtyard in a decidedly 
up-to-date fashion. At the house the bridal 
couple drank the nuptial sahe, which had been 
prepared by two girl friends of the bride. This 
was poured from a gold lacquer vessel into one 
of silver lacquer — the two representing hus- 
band and wife — then into a cup, which the 
master of ceremonies handed to the bride and 
afterward to the groom, and from which they 
both drank. 

As Shinto is the faith of the reigning family, 
the funeral ceremony of a prince throws a good 
deal of light upon the cult itself. I did not 
witness such a ceremony myself, so I condense 



170 The Spell of Japan 

the vivid description given by the Baroness 
d^Anethan, who, as wife of the Belgian Min- 
ister, resided in Tokyo for many years. 

The funeral procession was headed by over 
eighty bearers dressed in white, the Japanese 
sign of mourning, each carrying a huge tower 
of flowers. Following these were officers in 
uniform holding cushions, on which rested the 
Prince's numerous grand crosses and orders. 
Next came various persons surrounding a cas- 
ket, which contained the favourite food, the 
shoes for the journey (large wooden geta), the 
sword to guard against evil spirits during the 
soul's fifty days' wanderings, and the money 
to pay for the ferry-boat that crosses the river 
to Eternity. Finally appeared a beautifully 
fabricated casket of pure white wood (the 
Shinto sign of purity), embossed with the 
family arms in gold, in which the body was 
arranged in a sitting position. The chief 
mourner, a young prince, was dressed in the 
old-fashioned Court mourning, consisting of a 
wide, full, black silk petticoat, covered partially 
by a short white kimono, crowned by an unusual 
form of headdress, made of what looked like 
stiff black muslin. The two princesses of the 
family also wore ancient Court mourning — a 
greyish-brown hahama (a kind of divided skirt) 



Cults and Shrines 171 

— and had their black hair puffed out at the 
sides like great wings and hanging down the 
back. 

Arriving at the cemetery, the Corps Diplo- 
matique walked up a path paved in wood and 
bordered on each side by covered seats, at the 
end of which were high trestles supporting the 
coffin. The service now began, accompanied by 
weird funeral music. Low white wooden tables 
were placed before the coffin, all sorts of ob- 
jects being offered to the departed by the 
priests. First was a long box, containing the 
name which His Imperial Highness was to bear 
in the next world. After this followed a repast 
of various kinds of fish, game, sweetmeats and 
fruit — the favourite foods of the deceased. 
These articles were handed with great cere- 
mony from one priest to another. There were 
ten priests, and as each one took the dish, which 
was placed on a stool of white wood, he clapped 
his hands twice to call the gods, and the last 
priest, bowing very low, finally set it on the 
table. After all the food had been deposited, 
prayers were intoned from an immense scroll, 
the final ceremony being that each member of 
the family, and after them, the Corps Di- 
plomatique, approached the coffin, carrying 
branches of some particular tree, from which 



172 The Spell of Japan 

floated long papers inscribed with prayers. 
The actual interment took place some hours 
later, and with the remains of the Prince were 
buried the various articles of food and clothing. 

Our visits to the cemeteries showed us the 
veneration of the Japanese for their noble dead, 
and impressed us with the significance of an- 
cestor worship in the Shinto cult. The big 
graveyard in Tokyo, where Nogi and his wife 
were buried, was most interesting. Modern 
cemeteries in Japan are much like ours, each 
owner having an enclosed lot and misshapen 
stones or stone lanterns to mark the graves, 
but they are not so well kept up as in America. 
Attached to the fence surrounding the lot is a 
wooden box, in which visitors leave their cards 
when calling at the abode of the dead. The 
mourners sometimes burn incense and leave 
branches of laurel, too. As we approached the 
resting-place of Nogi and his wife, we saw 
crowds of people standing near, for although 
months had passed since their dramatic death, 
the Japanese were still visiting their graves in 
great numbers. 

In many cemeteries are the statues of ^' The 
Six Jizo " — smiling, childish figures about 
three feet high — bearing various Buddhist em- 
blems. A bag of pebbles hangs about the neck 



Cults and Shrines 173 

of each one, and little heaps of stones are piled 
up at their feet and even laid upon their shoul- 
ders and their knees. Jizo is the children's god. 
He is the protector of the little souls who have 
gone from this world to the Sai-no-Kawara, the 
abode of children after death, where they must 
pile up stones in penance for their sins ! When 
this task is done, the demons abuse them and 
throw down their little towers ; then the babies 
run to Jizo, who hides them in his great sleeves, 
and drives the evil spirits away. Every stone 
that is laid at the feet of Jizo is a help to some 
little one in working out its long task. 

Hearn gives an interesting account of a won- 
derful cave at Kaka, on the wild western coast 
of Japan, which can be visited only when there 
is not wind enough '' to move three hairs," for 
the strongest boat could not live in the surf 
that beats against the high cliifs and dashes 
into the fissures in their sides. But let one 
make the journey safely, and he shall find in 
this grotto an image of Jizo, and before it the 
tiny stone heaps. Every night, it is said, baby 
souls make their way to the cavern, and pile 
up the pebbles around their friend, and every 
morning the prints of little bare feet — the feet 
of the baby ghosts — are seen in the moist sand. 

Buddhism has become so complicated and 



174 The Spell of Japan 

changed in the different countries through 
which it has travelled since it originated in 
Southern India, and there are to-day so many- 
sects, that it is difficult to define. 

The Ikko sect undoubtedly holds the purest 
and loftiest form of this faith. Its chief teach- 
ing is, that ** man is to be saved by faith in 
the merciful power of Amida, and not by works 
or vain repetition of prayers. For this reason, 
and also because its priests are permitted to 
marry, this body has sometimes been called the 
Protestantism of Japan." 

"All the followers of Buddha believe in rein- 
carnation; they feel that life is a struggle, 
which human beings must get through with as 
well as they can, and that as they are frail, 
they return to this earth in various forms in 
punishment for their sins, always toiling on, 
until at last their purified souls merge in the 
Divine and realize calm. As an old Japanese 
writer puts it, ^ ^ Though growing in the foulest 
slime, the flower remains pure and undefiled. 
And the soul of him who remains pure in the 
midst of temptation is likened unto the lotus." 

There have been many Buddhas, who have 
returned at different times to this world, Yami- 
saki being the latest. Buddhism has degen- 
erated in Japan, having absorbed the Shinto 



Lacquer Work 



Cults and Shrines 175 

gods, and as it is based on a pessimistic view 
of life, it appears to be rather a depressing 
religion. 

Buddhist temples are adorned with wonder- 
ful carving and lacquer work, and contain 
bronzes and golden Buddhas. One of the 
largest and most magnificent in Japan, sur- 
rounded by gardens of great extent and beauty, 
is the Eastern Hongwanji temple in Kyoto. 
The shrines of the Ikko sect are called Hong- 
wanji, meaning '' Monastery of the Eeal Vow,'' 
from the vow made by Amida that he would 
not become Buddha unless salvation was 
granted to all who sincerely desired it and 
testified their wish by calling upon his name 
ten times. There is no government fund for 
this shrine, and it has no regular source of 
income, yet it has been the recipient of munifi- 
cent gifts from royal personages and men of 
wealth, and has all the prestige that could come 
from temporal support and the sanction of 
government. 

When we visited this temple, we were cere- 
moniously received by the priest in charge and 
a number of his confreres. The head priest, 
short, fat and clean-shaven, who met us at the 
gate, grunted and drew the air through his teeth 
in greeting us, as a symbol of great politeness 



176 The Spell of Japan 

and respect. His costume was a black silk robe 
over a soft white under-garment, and a gold 
brocade band about Ms neck. 

As we passed into the building, we were told 
that the present structure, which is said to have 
cost seven million yen and was sixteen years 
in building, was erected on the site of an an- 
cient temple that had been destroyed by fire. 
It is noteworthy that the new temple contains 
a system of tile pipes in the roof and ceiling, 
from which, in case of fire, water may be 
dropped over the entire area. 

Before the altar is a broad sweep of stone 
flooring, and in front of that a railing, outside 
which the people come to worship. Several 
were kneeling there as we passed, their palms 
together in the traditional attitude of Chris- 
tian prayer. Others were prone on the floor. 
The ragged, the lame and the desolate, blind 
and deaf to the passing crowd, knelt upon this 
bare stone pavement — separated from the 
altar by a railing beyond which they might not 
pass — their hands lifted in supplication or 
adoration, their heads bowed in humility. The 
scene called to mind the legend of Sandalphon, 
the Angel of Prayer, whose mission Longfellow 
has so beautifully described. We looked at the 
silent god standing within the lotus — sacred 



Cults and Shrines 177 

emblem of humanity — veiled by the pervading 
incense, and we wondered how many of those 
unspoken prayers penetrated to the mysterious 
depths where Buddha dwells. 

To the left of the altar is a space reserved 
for the priesthood, where Buddhist monks come 
daily to their morning devotions and religious 
exercises. Although the priests do not live in 
the temple, they sometimes pass the night here 
in meditation, seated on the long rows of mats 
that we saw arranged in orderly fashion. About 
forty priests are usually in attendance at the 
morning services, but on occasions of State 
ceremony larger numbers gather from all parts 
of the Empire. On the twenty-fifth and twenty- 
sixth of each month services are held in mem- 
ory of the founders of the temple. 

The priests conducted us between the railing 
and the altar, bowing their heads as they 
passed. A number of small coins were scat- 
tered on the matting — these were offerings 
left by worshippers. Our hosts, who treated 
us with unfailing courtesy, pointed out further 
details of the building, and afterward took us 
to a room where we were served with tea and 
small cakes. We were told that this apartment 
had been donated by the present Emperor. 

We followed one of the priests into the walled 



178 The Spell of Japan 

garden and through its narrow paths. We 
crossed brooks on bamboo bridges, and looked 
into the calm waters. Among the trees were 
small temples and tea-houses overhanging the 
water, and curiously shaped stones and crooked 
pines. Hongwanji garden has all the fascina- 
tion of a true Japanese garden, and has, be- 
sides, the additional charm of age, for it is over 
three hundred years old. We sat in this ideal 
spot, in one of the pretty tea-houses with its 
soft mats and lacquer and polished wood, and 
again drank tea from wee porcelain cups and 
ate sugared cakes. 

The memory of this temple garden clings to 
me still. I imagine the priests sitting on the 
little covered wooden bridge gazing into the 
calm water with the lotus flowers, while the 
crickets sing in the silence — crickets who were 
perhaps once human, now doing penance for 
their sins. I hear the priests murmur over and 
over Namu Amida Butsu, the Japanese render- 
ing of the Sanskrit invocation meaning ** Hail 
to the Eternal Splendour of Buddha! " I see 
them meditating on the unending life that they 
believe to be in store for them, until evil shall 
have left them, and they shall be absorbed into 
Nirvana, *' as a dewdrop sinks into the shining 



Cults and Shrines 179 

As we left the temple we were shown the 
great coil of ropes made of human hair. There 
were originally twenty-nine of these cables, the 
longest of which measured two hundred feet. 
It seems that at the time when the old shrine 
was burned, and they wished to rebuild it, the 
church had no funds. People came together 
from all over the Empire, and set to work like 
beavers. The men gave what they could, in 
work and money; the women had nothing, yet 
they, too, wished to help. In a frenzy of relig- 
ious zeal they cut off their hair — their most 
treasured possession — and cast it at the foot 
of the shrine of Buddha. From their offerings 
were woven the cables that hoisted the tiles to 
the roof and lifted into place the great wooden 
pillars of the temple. 

The temple of Buddha, with its unpainted 
exterior, its bare pillars in their naked sim- 
plicity, its glint of gold, its magnificent carv- 
ings, the delicate fragrance of burning incense, 
its candles, its wealth of symbolism — all this 
is a fading memory ; yet its fascination lingers. 
We wonder how much of the temple of Buddha 
we really saw, how much we felt the presence 
of that power which is so intimately linked with 
the spirit of the East and with the genius of 
the Oriental peoples. We felt the reverence — 



180 The Spell of Japan 

unexpressed in word or outward act — with 
which our hosts, the priests, drew our atten- 
tion to the inscription above the altar, painted 
in golden Japanese characters by the hand of 
the late Emperor, which, being interpreted, 
means, ** See Truth.'' 

The temples at Nikko, the finest in Japan, 
are part Shinto, part Buddhist. A ceremony 
which we once witnessed there, in the mauso- 
leum of lyeyasu, the great Shogun, was full of 
interest. After taking off our shoes at the 
entrance, we wandered over the mats, looking 
at the gloriously carved panels, till we were 
informed that all was ready and were invited 
to enter an inner room. I was given a peach- 
coloured brocade robe, which I threw over my 
shoulders, but was told that it was not neces- 
sary to don the skirt, which forms the rest of 
the ceremonial costume. They gave us two 
camp-chairs, as we preferred to sit on them 
rather than on our heels, in Japanese fashion. 
On either side of us squatted three priests in 
white and green robes with curious black open- 
work hats on their heads. We faced the inner 
shrine, in which stood, on a table, a vase con- 
taining the gold paper for purification, such as 
is seen in Shinto shrines. 

Then began the most unearthly music that I 




THE HONDEN, lYEYASU, NIKKO. 



Cults and Shrines 181 

have ever heard, made by the three priests on 
L.'s side, who were musicians. One had a 
strange instrument made of flutes put together, 
resembling a small organ, which gave out a 
sound somewhat like a bagpipe. While this 
man played a weird tune on his pipes, another 
with a different instrument made a most un- 
pleasant whistle, like that of a train, which 
continued throughout the entire ceremony. 

Besides the green-robed musicians there were 
on my side white-robed priests with even 
quainter head-gear, who moved about on their 
knees and presented food and drink before the 
altar with many bows and much clapping of 
their hands. This service led to the opening 
of the door of the inner shrine, into which we 
were afterward taken and served with sake. 
Then we were conducted behind one beautiful 
set of painted screens after another till we 
came into the innermost place, gloriously dec- 
orated in lacquer and painting but in absolute 
darkness, except for the glow of the lanterns 
which we took with us. On emerging from 
these hidden recesses, we left the temple, with 
polite bows to the priests and thanks for their 
courtesy. As we walked away from the build- 
ing, we could hear the screeching instruments, 
the priests going on with the service as the 



182 The Spell of Japan 

offerings were brought out of the sacred 
place. 

Just as we were departing, I was given this 
translation of the Precepts of lyeyasu, which 
I have been glad to preserve as a souvenir 
of beautiful Nikko : 

PRECEPTS OF lYEYASU 

Life is like unto a long journey with a heavy 
load. Let thy steps be slow and steady, that 
thou stumble not. Persuade thyself that im- 
perfection and inconvenience is the natural lot 
of mortals, and there will be no room for dis- 
content, neither for despair. When ambitious 
desires arise in thy heart, recall the days of 
extremity thou hast passed through. Forbear- 
ance is the root of quietness and assurance for 
ever. Look upon wrath as thy enemy. If thou 
knowest only what it is to conquer, and know- 
est not what it is to be defeated, woe unto thee ! 
it will fare ill with thee. Find fault with thy- 
self rather than with others. Better the less 
than the more. 

Translated hy Prof. K. WadagaJci, 
of the Imperial University, 

The Japanese, like Arabs and Hindoos, not 
content with worshipping at near-by shrines. 



Cults and Shrines 183 

often make pilgrimages to holy places at a dis- 
tance. There are several of these resorts in 
the Empire, some of the most famous being 
the temple of the Sun-Goddess at Ise, the holy 
mountain Fuji, the monastery of Koya-san, 
and the lovely island of Miyajima, in the Inland 
Sea. As most of the pilgrims belong to the 
artisan and peasant classes, and have scarcely 
more than enough for their daily needs, they 
have evolved a scheme for defraying the ex- 
penses of these trips by forming a great num- 
ber of associations, or brotherhoods, the mem- 
bers of which contribute each a cent a month. 
At the proper season for the pilgrimage certain 
members are chosen by lot to represent the 
brotherhood at some shrine, and their expenses 
are paid out of the common fund. No distinct- 
ive dress is worn by most of them, but those 
on their way to Fuji and other mountains are 
attired in white garments and broad straw 
hats. 

These Japanese pilgrims are not only per- 
forming a pious duty, they are also taking their 
summer vacation. After their prayers are 
said, as at the various festivals I have de- 
scribed, they do not hesitate to join in all the 
amusements that are provided. It makes little 
difference to the mass of the common people 



184 The Spell of Japan 

whether they worship at a Shinto or a Buddhist 
shrine, and the Government actually changed 
Kompira from Buddhist to Shinto without in 
the least detracting from its popularity. The 
relics guarded in these temples of Buddha 
remind us very much of the sacred memorials 
cherished by the Eoman Church — holy gar- 
ments, holy swords, pictures by famous saints, 
and bits of the cremated body of a Buddha. 

It was from her religions that Japan drew 
her Knightly Code, BusMdo, obedience to which 
raised the samurai from the mere brutal 
wielder of swords to the chivalrous warrior. 
From Shinto he imbibed veneration for his 
ancestors, the strongest possible sense of duty 
to his parents, and the most self-sacrificing loy- 
alty to the sovereign. Buddhism gave him a 
stoical composure in the presence of danger, a 
contempt for life, and '' friendliness with 
death." It made him calm and self-contained. 
Finally, the samurai obtained from the teach- 
ings of Confucius his principles of action 
toward his fellow men. 

Bushido is spoken of as ^* the Soul of the 
People." The Greeks of old located the soul 
in the kidneys, the Eomans in the heart, and 
it is only in recent years that it has been de- 
scribed as in the head; even then the soul at 



Cults and Shrines 185 

best is indefinable, so I am at a loss to tell 
exactly what Bushido means. 

When I asked a Japanese to define Bushido, 
he answered, '^ Loyalty — the loyalty of the 
servant to his master, of the son to his father. 
The servant is willing to make any sacrifice for 
the master. The Forty-Seven Ronins are an 
example of this. General Nogi is another in- 
stance of the same thing. Nogi felt that his 
death would remind the younger generation of 
the Spartan virtues of the older days, which 
they were forgetting, and would be a good thing 
for the country. He also wished to die in order 
that his master, the Emperor, might not be 
lonely. ' ' 

The Japanese national hymn, as translated 
by Professor Chamberlain, fitly embodies this 
sentiment of loyalty to the Emperor : 

" A thousand years of happy reign be thine; 
Rule on, my lord, till what are pebbles now 
By age united, to mighty rocks shall grow, 
Whose venerable sides the moss doth line." 

^ * Among the rare jewels of race and civiliza- 
tion which have slowly grown to perfection is 
the Japanese virtue of loyalty,'' writes Dr. 
W. E. Griffis; *' In supreme devotion, in utter 
consecration to his master, in service, through 



186 The Spell of Japan 

life and death, a samurai's loyalty to Ms lord 
knew no equal. . . . Wife, children, fortune, 
health, friends, were as naught — but rather to 
be trampled under foot, if necessary, in order 
to reach that * last supreme measure of devo- 
tion ' which the samurai owed to his lord. The 
matchless sphere of rock crystal, flawless and 
perfect, is the emblem of Japanese loyalty. '^ 

The material side of Bushido is the fighting 
spirit, and the germ of the spiritual side is the 
idea of fair play in fight — a germ which devel- 
oped into a lofty code of honour. In feudal 
times Japanese warriors endured severe dis- 
cipline. They were obliged to be expert with 
the fencing-stick, skilled in jiu-jutsu, the aris- 
tocratic form of wrestling, in archery, and in 
the use of the spear and the iron fan, as well 
as the double sword. They felt that mastery 
of the art of battle gave self-control and mental 
calm. 

Mental exercises were practised more gen- 
erally in olden times than they are to-day. 
There are several cults for the training of the 
mind, such as Kiai and Zen, both Buddhist 
practices. The secret of Kiai condensed is: 
* * I make personality my magic power. I make 
promptitude my limbs. I make self -protection 
my laws.'' 



Cults and Shrines 187 

Zen teaches : ^ ^ Commit no evil, do only good, 
and preserve the purity of your heart and will. 
If you keep aloof from mundane fame and the 
lusts of the flesh, and are inspired by a firm 
resolve to attain the Great Truth, the gates of 
Stoicism will be opened to you." 

Bushido is the foundation of the nation, built 
of rock. It is strong and true, and whatever 
is built upon it in the future, even if it topple 
and fall, can always be rebuilt again, for the 
rock is there for ever. May they build some- 
thing worthy to rise on such a firm foundation ! 




CHAPTER IX 

NEW LIGHT FOR OLD 

HE Old and the New Japan jostle each 
other at every turn. One day we vis- 
ited the tomb of the heroic Nogi, who 
sacrificed his life on the altar of Bu- 
shido, and the next we received at the Embassy 
the pupils of the Tokyo Normal School, who will 
have so large a share in the continued remod- 
elling of the nation. The Land of the Rising 
Sun has undergone decided changes within the 
last fifty years in her desire to make herself 
the equal of the Great Powers of Christendom ; 
she has been willing to cast aside tradition, to 
modify her form of government, to adopt West- 
em customs. But none of these things appears 
to me so vital as the reconstruction of her edu- 
cational system and the free admission of a 
new religious belief. 

The old system of Japanese education was 
derived from Chinese models as early as the 
eighth century, but for many hundred years it 
was barely kept alive in Buddhist monasteries, 

188 



New Light for Old 189 

and was never fully carried out until the Toku- 
gawa period. The higher institutions were 
devoted entirely to the study of Chinese his- 
tory and literature, and their object was chiefly 
to train efficient ser\^ants of the State. Bud- 
dhist priests were the usual teachers of the 
lower classes, but retired samurai often opened 
elementary schools, such as that pictured so 
vividly by one of their pupils : ^ 

^^ This primitive school,'' he says, ** con- 
sisted of a couple of rooms, where some twenty 
or thirty boys (and a very few girls), ranging 
in age from seven to fourteen, spent the fore- 
noon, each reading in turn with the teacher for 
half an hour some paragraphs from Confucius 
and Mencius, and devoting the rest of the time 
to calligraphy. Of the three R's, 'riting de- 
manded the most time and reading but little, 
'rithmetic scarcely any, except in a school at- 
tended by children of the common people as 
distinct from those of the samurai. Sons of 
the samurai class had other curricula than the 
three R's. They began fencing, jiu-jutsu, 
spear-practice and horsemanship, when quite 
young, and usually took these lessons in the 
early morning. As a child of seven, I remem- 
ber being roused by my mother before dawn 

1 Dr. Nitobe, in *' The Japanese Nation." 



190 The Spell of Japan 

in the winter, and reluctantly, often in posi- 
tively bad humour, picking my way barefooted 
through the snow. The idea was to accustom 
children to hardihood and endurance. There 
was little fun in the schoolroom, except such 
as our ingenious minds devised behind our 
teacher's back." 

Yet this primitive system of education 
trained leaders of sufficient wisdom, unselfish- 
ness and breadth of view to guide Japan safely 
from the old to the new. Okubo and Kido, two 
members of the embassy that was sent to the 
treaty powers in 1871, discovered, upon landing 
in San Francisco, that the very bell-boys and 
waiters in the hotel understood the issues at 
.stake in the election then going on. This con- 
vinced them that nothing but education could 
enable Japan to hold her own beside the West- 
ern world. Okubo said, ^* We must first edu- 
cate leaders, and the rest will follow." Kido 
said, ** We must educate the masses; for un- 
less the people are trained, they cannot follow 
their leaders." Between the two, they got 
something of both. 

The younger generation lost no time in avail- 
ing themselves of their new privileges, and in- 
deed they are to-day so eager for learning that, 
after their daily work, many of them sit up the 



New Light for Old 191 

greater part of the night to study. In conse- 
quence, they often grow anaemic, nervous and 
melancholy. 

While the Japanese seem now to have 
adapted their elementary schools to the needs 
of their people, they have not been so success- 
ful with their secondary schools, called ^^ mid- 
dle " for boys and ^^ high " for girls. The 
course of study for boys is much the same as 
in this country, except that instead of Greek 
and Latin they have Chinese and Yamato — 
old Japanese. English occupies six hours a 
week through the whole five-year course, but 
is taught only for reading, so that while most 
educated Japanese can understand some Eng- 
lish and have read the classics of our literature, 
they may not be able to carry on a conversa- 
tion in our language. In girls' high schools 
there is a room that might be styled '* a lab- 
oratory of manners,'' where pupils have a 
** course in etiquette, including ceremonial tea 
and flower arrangement." The certificate of 
the middle school legally admits a student to 
the government colleges, but as there are only 
eight of these institutions in the country, they 
cannot receive all who apply. Consequently, 
students must pass a rigid entrance examina- 
tion. There are four Imperial universities, of 



192 The Spell of Japan 

which that in Tokyo is the oldest and has about 
six thousand students, and several private uni- 
versities, one of which, Waseda, has an enroll- 
ment of more than seven thousand. 

It did not escape the notice of the wisest 
leaders that perhaps the weakest point in this 
new educational system was its lack of moral 
training, all religious teaching being forbidden 
in government schools. Accordingly, in 1890, 
the late Emperor issued the Imperial Eescript 
on Education, a printed copy of which with the 
Emperor ^s autograph is sacredly cherished in 
every school, and upon which nearly all modern 
Japanese text-books of ethics are based. The 
most important part of this document reads as 
follows : 

** Ye, Our subjects, be filial to your parents, 
affectionate to your brothers and sisters; as 
husbands and wives be harmonious, as friends 
true ; bear yourselves in modesty and modera- 
tion; extend your benevolence to all; pursue 
learning and cultivate the arts, and thereby 
develop intellectual faculties and perfect moral 
powers ; furthermore, advance public good and 
promote common interests ; always respect the 
Constitution and observe the laws; should 
emergency arise, offer yourselves courageously 
to the State ; and thus guard and maintain the 



New Light for Old 193 

prosperity of Our Imperial Throne, coeval with 
heaven and earth.'' 

I was much interested in two secondary 
schools in Tokyo. We had the pleasure of 
entertaining the graduating class of young men 
from the Normal School. Professor Swift, who 
accompanied them, had been teaching in Japan 
for twenty-five years, having had the present 
Emperor at one time in his school. He said 
his students had never been received at the Em- 
bassy before, and in fact, he thought none of 
them had ever been in a European house. 
There were about forty of the Japanese and 
one young Chinaman. I think most of them 
were perhaps about twenty years old. They 
wore European dress, but the Japanese master 
came in his native costume. According to their 
rules of politeness, they gathered about the 
door, and could scarcely be induced to come in 
to shake hands with us. When they finally did 
come, they backed into a corner, and in true 
Japanese fashion had to be invited three times 
before they would enter the tea-room. 

These students go out through Japan to teach 
English after they graduate. They did not 
speak English, however, quite so well as I had 
expected, but no doubt they were a little fright- 
ened, and probably they were more used to 



194 The Spell of Japan 

such questions as I heard at one school when 
the teacher read to the class, ^* Where was 
Phineas when the mob gathered about the 
portal? '' Our guests enjoyed the mechanical 
bear and tiger, for, like most people of the 
East, the Japanese are especially fond of such 
toys. The students seemed to take interest in 
the photographs also, and when one asked for 
music, we started the Victor and allowed them 
to choose their own records. 

Male and female teachers are trained in sep- 
arate normal schools, which are government 
institutions. All their expenses — for board, 
clothing, tuition and books — are met by the 
State. After a preparatory course of one year, 
they take the regular course of four years, 
which covers a very full curriculum. Music, 
gymnastics, manual training, law and economics 
form part of this very modern course of study, 
and commerce and agriculture may be added. 
English is also included, but made optional. 
The necessary training in teaching is given in a 
practice school attached to each normal school. 
A shorter course of one year is devoted chiefly 
to the study of methods and practical work. A 
severe military training is given in the schools 
for males. Graduates from the regular course 
are obliged to serve the State as teachers for 



New Light for Old 195 

seven years, and those from the shorter course 
for two years. 

The second school which particularly inter- 
ested me was Miss Tsuda's. Miss Tsuda her- 
self was one of several Japanese children from 
good families who, when they were very young, 
were sent to America to be educated. Three 
of the girls, it is said, decided at school how 
they wished to live their lives. One said that 
above all things she should marry for love and 
in the Western fashion, and so it was — she 
met a young Japanese studying in America, 
and they were married and returned to Japan. 
The second one said she wished to be a power, 
and she returned home and in Japanese f asliion 
was married by her parents to a very prom- 
inent leader in political life. Miss Tsuda felt 
that she wished to help her countrywomen, and 
that she would remain unmarried and devote 
her life to education. So, curiously enough, 
these three women have carried out the ideals 
of their girlhood. 

The school for the higher education of Jap- 
anese girls which Miss Tsuda has established 
is practically a post-graduate course, to fit 
them for teachers. One class that I visited was 
reading really difficult English — something of 
"George Eliot's. Miss Tsuda herself is a grad- 



196 The Spell of Japan 

nate of Bryn Mawr, and speaks most beautiful 
English — perhaps the most perfect I have 
heard from any Japanese. The school is sup- 
ported chiefly, I understand, by people in Phil- 
adelphia. I was told that the Bible was taught, 
but that the study of it was not compulsory, 
and that many of the girls were Buddhists. 
These students are from all stations in life. 

The outside of the buildings was in Japanese 
style, but the schoolrooms were like those in 
America; the pupils sat in chairs and had 
desks. I inquired why they did not sit on the 
mats, and Miss Tsuda said they had adopted 
chairs and desks because the girls felt that on 
the whole the chairs were more comfortable, 
and that they could move more quickly. It is 
thought the race will grow taller if they all 
learn to use chairs, instead of sitting on their 
legs as they have always done. The majority 
of the girls had writing-boxes and books upon 
the floors of their own rooms, and kept their 
bedding in a cupboard after the custom of their 
people, but they were allowed to have chairs if 
they asked for them. Hanging upon the shoji 
were Christian mottoes, photographs of their 
relatives, and in one case a picture of Nogi. 
European food is given here, as well as Jap- 
anese, and our methods of cooking are taught. 



New Light for Old 197 

These students have modern gymnastic 
training every day, and they also play base- 
ball, which the old-fashioned Japanese think 
very unladylike. Every Saturday evening they 
play games, have charades, and act little plays, 
both in English and Japanese. 

On a previous visit, some years ago, L. had 
gone over the Imperial University with Pro- 
fessor Yoshida. At that time Tokyo University 
and the Engineering College had lately been 
amalgamated. He said it seemed strange, com- 
ing from an American university, to see the 
complete neglect of what we call classics, Latin 
and Greek. All the modern sciences, medicine, 
the 'ologies and law were studied in English, 
German and French. 

One department, the seismic, established es- 
pecially for the separate study of volcanic dis- 
turbances and earthquakes, was then peculiar 
to this university. It is particularly interest- 
ing to the Japanese, for they are constantly 
experiencing such disturbances — the late erup- 
tion in the province of Satsuma is a hint that 
results might be still more serious. 

In the art schools in Tokyo, which we visited, 
we saw the students painting and carving in 
their peculiar, painstaking way. 

An American teacher, who is not herself a 



198 The Spell of Japan 

missionary but has lived with missionaries in 
Japan for some time, and whom I consider an 
impartial judge, has given me her opinions on 
educational matters, including the work of the 
mission schools. The Japanese need, she feels, 
both moral and commercial instruction of the 
kind that only Western teachers can give. This 
teaching should be well given by the mission 
schools. At first, as in Korea, these schools 
were the only sources of Western thought, so 
they were frequented by all the Japanese who 
wished for any sort of progress. Everything 
was gobbled down hungrily. Even if they were 
not religiously inclined, they pretended to be, 
for this was their only means of learning Eng- 
lish. 

At the present time, the government schools 
teach Western branches, but they are hampered 
by a narrow-minded educational board with 
antiquated methods, and tied up by miles of red 
tape, so that their teaching of Western studies 
is away behind the times. We might consider 
the English heard all over Japan a fair sample 
of the superficiality that prevails, but, to be 
impartial, we must take into account the diffi- 
culties that have to be overcome by students 
and teachers. Because of the ideographs and 
other peculiarities of their own tongue, it is 



New Light for Old 199 

far more difficult for the Japanese to learn 
English than for us to learn French or German. 

Government schools are superior in Japanese 
branches — they teach Japanese and Chinese 
classics and ethics, Japanese law and ideals 
better than the mission schools — and certifi- 
cates from them give better positions, so ambi- 
tious Japanese go to them, but in Western sub- 
jects they try to do too many things. The 
students work only for examinations, not for 
really substantial progress. This is noticeable, 
except in rare individuals, who would probably 
progress under any conditions. The best Jap- 
anese educators realize this as well as the for- 
eigners and greatly deplore it. 

The reason that some of the mission schools 
are not so good as they might be is that they 
are too much occupied with proselyting, and 
hardly give more than superficial training to 
students. It would be better for the Japanese 
in the end if more real educators were sent out 
rather than so many preachers. If the mis- 
sion schools would combine in having Japanese 
teachers for Japanese subjects, there could be 
concentration of effort and expense. 

There is also a crying need, my friend says, 
of schools for foreign children, because there 
are no good ones in Japan, and it is expensive to 



200 The Spell of Japan 

send the boys and girls to America or Europe. 
An international foreign language school, too, 
is much needed. The ignorance of foreign 
tongues is one of the greatest barriers to ami- 
cable relations with other countries. The in-\ 
scrutability of the Japanese, which we hear so 
much about, is due principally to their lack of 
familiarity with languages. 

To understand the religious situation in 
Japan at all, it is necessary to take another 
backward glance over her history. Except dur- 
ing the two hundred and fifty years of the To- 
kugawa Period, the country has always been 
open to foreigners and foreign ideas. Chinese 
and Koreans, who brought new religions, a new 
civilization and a new philosophy, were gladly 
received. Young men from Japan sought learn- 
ing in other countries, even in distant India. 
So, when Francis Xavier and his intrepid Jesu- 
its made their way thither in the sixteenth cen- 
tury, they found a cordial welcome awaiting 
them. 

For fifty years Christian work went on ; hun- 
dreds of thousands of Japanese accepted the 
Roman Catholic faith. But the Eoman Church 
claims to be superior to the State, and the rulers 
of Japan saw reason to believe that the priests 
were aiming at political power. At once they 



New Light for Old 201 

reversed their former policy, branded Chris- 
tianity as "" Ja-kyo/^ the *^ Evil Way,*' and set 
about its extermination. Thousands of con- 
verts laid down their lives for the new faith 
in the terrible persecution that followed; for- 
eigners were driven out of Japan, and her own 
people were forbidden to leave her shores. 

After the ^' Long Sleep '' of the Tokugawa 
Period, the Meiji Era, known as the ^* Awaken- 
ing,'* began in 1867. Once more Christianity 
was brought in, but this time in the guise of 
Protestantism, and again it made rapid prog- 
ress. By the middle of the eighties some Jap- 
anese leaders of opinion were even advising 
that it should be declared the national religion, 
although this was largely for political reasons. 
However, full religious liberty was granted in 
1889. 

In the early nineties came the reaction. The 
conservative element in the nation began to 
make itself heard against the mad rush for new 
things. Japanese students returning from 
abroad brought stories of vice and crime in 
Christian lands. The Japanese began to dis- 
cover, too, that the standard of Christian ethics 
was a higher one than they had evef known, and 
demanded a change of life as well as of belief, 
and that the diplomacy of so-called Christian 



202 The Spell of Japan 

countries was often anything but Christian. So 
those who had simply ** gone with the crowd '* 
into the Christian ranks fell away. The 
churches were sifted. 

This revulsion of feeling was not lasting. 
Gradually the Japanese came to modify their 
conclusions. Those who remained in the 
churches did so from conviction, and a stronger 
church was the result. In this period of reac- 
tion Japan simply stopped to take breath, to 
adjust itself to the new life upon which it had 
entered. Progress now may be slower, but it 
is more substantial. 

The missionary question is absorbing, if one 
has time to see what has been done and what 
is being done now in the schools and kinder- 
gartens and hospitals, although to-day these 
Christian teachers are not playing so important 
a role as they did a few years ago. At first 
the Japanese went to the foreigners as their 
advisers and teachers, but now that they have 
travelled more and know more of "Western 
ideas they do not need them so much. Six hun- 
dred thousand dollars goes yearly from Amer- 
ica to Japan for missions. Japan is a poor 
country, but some people feel it is time for the 
rich men there to come forward and contribute 
to their own charities, rather than to let for- 



New Light for Old 203 

eigners do so large a share. I feel that there 
is more need of missionaries in China to-day, 
especially medical missionaries. 

Fifty years ago there was desperate need of 
medical missionaries in Japan. When Dr. Hep- 
burn opened his dispensary in a Buddhist tem- 
ple at Kanagawa, diseased beggars were very 
common on the streets, for hospitals were un- 
known. Now there are over one thousand pub- 
lic hospitals managed by Japanese doctors, who 
are well fitted for their profession — some have 
been educated in Germany and are very skil- 
ful. 

As there are natural hot springs in Japan, 
lepers in the early stages of the disease go 
there in the hope of being cured, but as a cure 
is not possible, they gradually become worse 
and cannot leave the country, so one often sees 
them begging in the streets. The only beggars 
I have ever seen in Japan have been victims 
of leprosy. 

Up to 1907 there were no hospitals for lepers 
except those founded by foreign missionaries. 
In that year the Government established five 
of these institutions, but as they are always 
crowded, the poor sufferers cannot be received 
unless they are very ill. Father Testevinde, a 
French Catholic priest, founded the first pri- 



204 The Spell of Japan 

vate hospital for lepers — which is still the 
largest — in 1889. Miss Eiddell, an English- 
woman, has established another, which she is 
now trying to enlarge. 

Eye troubles are especially prevalent in 
Japan, but the blind earn their living by mas- 
sage, and the note of their flute is often heard 
in the street. There is a great deal of tuber- 
culosis, but there are no sanatoriums for con- 
sumptives, who are taken into the regular hos- 
pitals. As the sufferers are kept in their homes 
until the last stages, the disease is spreading 
rapidly. 

It is very common to see children afflicted 
with skin-diseases. Japanese mothers believe 
that inborn wickedness comes out in this form. 
Since they no longer shave the children's heads 
as in the old days, however, the skin trouble 
is disappearing somewhat. Well-organized dis- 
pensaries and district nurses are certainly 
much needed in out-of-the-way villages, but no 
provision has as yet been made for such work. 
Midwives, however, are to be found. 

The Episcopal hospital in Tokyo, where Jap- 
anese womeii are taught nursing, is supposed 
to be the best in the country. Dr. Teusler is 
doing excellent work there. The Japanese hos- 
pitals are not so well managed as the best 



New Light for Old 205 

foreign ones, and the training for women 
nurses is not so long or so thorough as in 
America. It is difficult for foreigners to judge 
their hospitals, because they are intended for 
Japanese patients and their whole manner of 
living is so different from ours. At first, on 
account of native customs, only the poorer class 
of women could be induced to take up nursing 
as a profession, but to-day the better class are 
engaging in it. 

In no branch of medical work has Japan 
made greater progress or achieved finer results 
than in the Red Cross. In 1877 the Hakuaisha 
was formed — the Society of Universal Love — 
which cared for the wounded in the great civil 
war. Japan joined the European Red Cross 
League in 1887. 

'The Japanese Red Cross was finely organized 
for service during the war with Russia. The 
first work was the care of the Russian sailors 
at Chemulpo, who were even presented with 
artificial limbs by the Empress of Japan. Dur- 
ing the war six thousand sick and wounded 
Russian prisoners were cared for by the Jap- 
anese. In return the Russians subscribed to 
the Japanese Red Cross. The women nurses 
remained at home stations, all relief detach- 
ments at the front consisting of men only, but 



206 The Spell of Japan 

on the relief ships there were both sexes. An 
American nurse who was in Japan during the 
war said we had many things to learn from the 
Japanese and few to teach, in the way of han- 
dling the wounded. 

The pamphlet called, *' The Red Cross in the 
Far East,'' states that if a member dies, his 
hair or his ashes with the death certificate and 
his personal belongings shall be forwarded to 
his former quarters. 

The Red Cross in Japan numbers now more 
than one million five hundred thousand mem- 
bers, has twelve hospitals and two hospital 
ships, and nearly four thousand doctors, 
apothecaries and nurses ready for service. 
On her first voyage, the hospital ship Kosai 
MarUj was out from March, 1904, until Decem- 
ber, 1905, and transported more than thirteen 
thousand patients. There are Red Cross sta- 
tions also in Formosa and Port Arthur. The 
Empress Dowager often attended the meetings 
of the society, and assisted with large contri- 
butions. The Japanese Red Cross is said to 
be the largest, the best and the richest in the 
world. 

To return to distinctively religious work, the 
time that I could myself give to the observation 
of missions was limited, but I saw something 



New Light for Old 207 

of the Episcopal work in Tokyo. Bishop Mc- 
Kim was absent most of the winter in the Phil- 
ippines, but the Rev. Dr. Wallace, whom we 
had known in Honolulu years before, conducted 
the services. Japanese services were also held 
at the cathedral, and a school for native chil- 
dren was carried on by the mission. The bish- 
op's house and that of Dr. Wallace, which were 
in the cathedral compound, were of brick and 
looked fairly comfortable. 

As the lower classes are decidedly emotional 
and are easily influenced by revival meetings, 
while the better class naturally tend toward 
philosophy and other intellectual studies, there 
is room for Christian workers of different de- 
nominations. In actual numbers there are more 
of the Episcopalians than of any other Protes- 
tant denomination, as they include the English, 
Canadians, Australians and Americans. Next 
to these in number are the Presbyterians. 
There is a Unitarian mission conducted by the 
Rev. Dr. MacCauley, who has been there many 
years and whom we knew well. The Baptists 
are prominent in Yokohama. The American 
Board missionaries — the Congregationalists 
— I have been told, do the best work. 

A very kindly spirit exists among them all, 
but they could economize greatly if they worked 



208 The Spell of Japan 

even more in union. Each mission, for in- 
stance, has its Japanese secretary, because of 
the difficulty of the language, but if they com- 
bined, they could do with fewer secretaries, and 
could also have Japanese teachers for Japanese 
subjects. A few big, broad-minded men — 
like Dr. Greene, who was looked up to by 
every one — who were men of affairs as well 
as clergymen, could do much good by acting as 
the heads of the missions and directing the Jap- 
anese Christians, somewhat as is done in the 
stations of the American Board. 

Eight here I wish to pay my tribute to the 
beautiful life and the great work of the Eev. 
Dr. Greene, whose death last September left 
the American Board mission poorer for his 
loss. Dr. Greene and his wife went to Japan 
in 1869, when the government edict banning 
Christianity was still in force. They lived to 
see the country under a constitutional govern- 
ment, with a modern system of education and 
full religious liberty. Dr. Greene was a mis- 
sionary statesman; he was the intimate friend 
of Count Okuma and other Japanese leaders. 
As teacher, author, translator of the New Tes- 
tament, and president of the Asiatic Society, 
he did a varied work. A few months before 
his death the Emperor conferred upon Dr. 



New Light for Old 209 

Greene the Third Class of the Order of the 
Eising Sun, the highest decoration awarded to 
civilians residing in Japan. 

A work frequently overlooked is the service 
rendered in translation and the compilation of 
dictionaries. When Dr. Hepburn, to whom I 
have already referred, reached Japan in 1859, 
immediately after establishing his dispensary, 
he began the preparation of a Japanese-English 
dictionary, and as he had previously lived for 
several years in China, he was able to make 
rapid progress. In 1867 he brought out his 
great lexicon, which was published in Shanghai, 
because printing from metal type was not then 
done in Japan. When an invoice of it arrived 
in Yokohama, ** Two worlds, as by an isthmus, 
seemed to have been united. ... As a rapid 
feat of intellect and industry, it seemed a tour 
de force, a Marathon run." Later, Dr. Hep- 
bum assisted in translating the Bible into Jap- 
anese. For all his work — as physician, lexi- 
cographer, translator of the Bible — and espe- 
cially for his noble character, he was known in 
Japan as '^ Kunshi/' the superior man. En- 
graved on his tombstone are the words, ** God 
bless the Japanese." 

The following statistics, given out recently 
by the Japanese Bureau of Eeligion, are inter- 



210 The Spell of Japan 

esting as showing the number of adherents to 
each of the great faiths : 

Christians, 140,000 

Buddhists, 29,420,000 

Believing Buddhists, 18,910,000 

Shintoists, 19,390,000 

Believing Shintoists, 710,000 

Temples with priests, 72,128 

Temples without priests, 37,417 

The discrepancy between the number of ^ ^ be- 
lieving Shintoists " and Shintoists is explained 
when we remember that all persons in govern- 
ment employ — military and naval officers, of- 
ficials in the civil service, and teachers in 
government schools — must be nominal Shin- 
toists, even though they are Buddhists at 
heart. 

I cannot better close this chapter than by 
giving the opinions of a few representative 
people of different faiths and nationalities 
upon the subject of missions in Japan. 

Professor Masumi Hino of Doshisha Uni- 
versity, a Christian Japanese, gives reasons 
why none of the old faiths will meet the needs 
of Japan to-day. He says, '' Shinto stands for 
polytheism, which in Japan stands side by side 



New Light for Old 211 

with skepticism and religious indifference/' 
He credits Confucianism with teaching ^^ fair 
and square dealings with every man, ' ' but adds, 
** It nevertheless fails to meet the people's 
yearning after the eternal values." Buddhism 
will also, he believes, ** fail to be the supreme 
spiritual force in Japan," because it does not 
attach sufficient importance to ethical teaching; 
because it sinks the individual in ^ ' the absolute 
and the whole; " and because its belief in im- 
mortality is ' * based on the pessimistic view of 
life." 

Professor Hino acknowledges his own debt 
and that of the Japanese people to all three 
religions, but questions whether any of these 
can meet the pressure of twentieth-century life 
and problems. For himself he believes Chris- 
tianity alone ** is able to meet the demands of 
the coming generation in Japan." 

Mr. E. J. Harrison, a resident of Japan for 
fourteen years, says in his book, ** The Fight- 
ing Spirit of Japan ": 

*' I venture the opinion merely for what it 
may be worth, but that opinion is, that those 
who flatter themselves that the day will ever 
dawn when the Japanese as a people will pro- 
fess Christianity imagine a vain thing, and are 
pursuing a will-o'-the-wisp. They will dabble 



212 The Spell of Japan 

in Christianity as they have dabbled and are 
dabbling in numerous other ' anities/ ^ isms/ 
and ' ologies '; but the sort of Christianity 
which will ultimately be evolved in Japan will 
have very little in common with its various 
prototypes of the Occident." Most people re- 
siding in Japan for any length of time agree 
with Mr. Harrison. 

Then there is the missionary opinion. As 
recently as August 22, 1913, Eev. Dr. Greene 
wrote from Tokyo : 

** Everything points to an increased appre- 
ciation of the place of religion in human life. 
The rapid headway which the more spiritual 
philosophy of the West, as represented by 
Bergson and Eucken, is making among the 
thoughtful men of Japan, including the young 
men of the universities, suggests much promise. 
Professor Anezaki, head of the department of 
Comparative Eeligion in the Imperial Univer- 
sity of Tokyo, said not long ago that the stu- 
dents were weary of the materialism still prop- 
agated by certain of the older Japanese think- 
ers, and were seeking guidance of younger men 
imbued with the more recent philosophical 
thought. 

'' If the Christian leaders will but put them- 
selves in harmony with this deep-flowing 



New Light for Old 213 

stream, they may well indulge the brightest 
hopes.'' 

At a special gathering of public men in Tokyo 
in 1913, when evangelistic preachers from 
America were present, Baron Sakatani, the 
Mayor, although not a Christian himself^ said: 

*' You men of the West owe us a lot. Your 
civilization has come in and broken down very 
largely the old faiths of Japan. We are look- 
ing for a new and better one. You owe it to 
us to help us find something to take the place 
of that which we have lost." 

A year or two ago, the Minister of Educa- 
tion, who is not a Christian, called a conference 
of Buddhists, Shintoists and Christians, at 
which he said, '^ What Japan needs is more 
vital religion, and I ask each of you to become 
more in earnest in bringing your faith to bear 
upon the lives of our people.'' 




CHAPTER X 



HE Japanese are true story-tellers, 
and for centuries their folklore has 
been passed down by word of mouth. 
The stories which Madame Ozaki, Pas- 
teur and others have so cleverly translated into 
English are a great delight to me, many of them 
are so full of humour, pathos and charm. They 
fall into three characteristic types : — stories of 
the unreal world, legends of the great warriors 
of feudal days, and tales of love. Instead of 
trying to describe them I will give an example 
of each in condensed form. 

Fairy tales play an important part in the 
literature of the people, and, except possibly 
the Norwegian, I think none compare with those 
of Japan. They have a strange and fascina- 
ting quality which specially distinguishes them 
from ours — they deal with imps and goblins, 
with devils, foxes and badgers, with the gro- 
tesque and supernatural, instead of the pretty 

214 



Prose, Poetry and Plays 215 

dancing fairies, the good fairies that our chil- 
dren know. 

'' The Travels of the Two Frogs,'* from the 
charming version in Mr. William Elliot Griffis' 
'' Fairy Tales of Old Japan, '* is given here in 
condensed form. 



THE TRAVELS OF TWO FROGS 

Once upon a time there lived two frogs — 
one in a well in Kyoto, the other in a lotus 
pond in Osaka, forty miles away. Now in the 
Land of the Gods they have a proverb, *^ The 
frog in the well knows not the great ocean,'' 
and the Kyoto frog had so often heard this 
sneer from the maids who came to draw water 
with their long bamboo-handled buckets that he 
resolved to travel and see the ^^ great ocean." 

Mr. Frog informed the family of his inten- 
tions. Mrs. Frog wept a great deal, but finally 
drying her eyes with her paper handkerchief 
she declared that she would count the hours on 
her fingers until he came back. She tied up a 
little lacquered box full of boiled rice and snails 
for his journey, wrapped it round with a silk 
napkin, and putting his extra clothes in a bun- 
dle, swung it on his back. Tying it over his 
neck, he seized his staff and was ready to go. 



216 The Spell of Japan 

*^ Sayonara! '' cried he, as with a tear in his 
eye he walked away — for that is the Japanese 
for " good-bye." 

"' Sayonara! " croaked Mrs. Frog and the 
whole family of young frogs in a chorus. 

Mr. Frog, being now on land and out of his 
well, noticed that men did not leap, but walked 
upright on their hind legs, and not wishing to 
be eccentric he began walking the same way. 

Now about the same time, an old Osaka frog 
had become restless and dissatisfied with life 
on the edge of a lotus pond. Close by the side 
of his pond was a monastery full of Buddhist 
monks who every day studied their sacred rolls 
and droned over the books of the sage, to learn 
them by heart. Now the monks often came 
down to the edge of the pond to look at the pink 
and white lotus flowers. One summer day, as 
a little frog, hardly out of his tadpole state, 
with a fragment of tail still left, sat basking 
on a huge round leaf, one monk said to another, 
*^ Of what does that remind you? " *^ That 
the babies of frogs will become but frogs! '' 
answered one shaven-pate, laughing; '* What 
think you? '' ** The white lotus springs out of 
the black mud," said the other solemnly, and 
they both walked away. 

The old frog, sitting near-by, overheard them 



Prose, Poetry and Plays 217 

and began to philosophize: " Humph! the 
babies of frogs will become but frogs, hey? 
If the lotus springs from mud, why shouldn't 
a frog become a man? If my pet son should 
travel abroad and see the world — go to Kyoto, 
for instance — why shouldn't he be as wise as 
those shining-headed men, I wonder? I shall 
try it, anyhow. I'll send my son on a journey 
to Kyoto — I'll cast the lion's cub into the 
valley! " 

Now it so happened that the old frog from 
Kyoto and the ^^ lion's cub " from Osaka 
started each from his home at the same time. 
Nothing of importance occurred to either of 
them until they met on a hill near Hashimoto, 
which is half-way between the two cities. Both 
were footsore and websore, and very, very 
tired. 

" Ohio! '^ said the lion's cub to the old frog, 
by way of good morning, as he fell on all fours 
and bowed his head to the ground three times. 

'^ Ohio! '' replied the Kyoto frog. 

** It is rather fine weather to-day," said the 
youngster. 

** Yes, it is very fine," replied the old fellow. 

'* I am Gamataro, the oldest son of Lord 
Bullfrog, Prince of the Lotus Ditch." 

** Your lordship must be weary with your 



218 The Spell of Japan 

journey. I am Sir Frog of the Well in Kyoto. 
I started out to see the great ocean from Osaka, 
but I declare my hips are so dreadfully tired 
that I believe I'll give up my plan and content 
myself with a look from this hill, which I have 
been told is half-way between the two cities. 
While I see Osaka and the sea, you can get a 
good look at Kyoto." 

** Happy thought!" cried the Osaka frog. 
Then both reared themselves up on their hind 
legs, and stretching up on their toes, body to 
body, and neck to neck, propped each other up, 
rolled their goggles, and looked steadily, as 
they supposed, on the places they each wished 
to see. 

Now every one knows that a frog has eyes 
mounted in that part of his head which is front 
when he is down, and back when he stands up. 
Long and steadily they gazed, until at last, their 
toes being tired, they fell down on all fours. 

* ' I declare ! ' ' said the older frog, * * Osaka 
looks just like Kyoto ! As for that great ocean 
those stupid maids talked about, I don't see 
any at all, unless they mean that strip of river 
which looks for all the world like Yedo. I don't 
believe there is any great ocean ! ' ' 

** For my part," said the other, ** I am sat- 
isfied that it's all folly to go further, for Kyoto 



Prose, Poetry and Plays 219 

is as like Osaka as one grain of rice is like 
another. ' ' 

Thereupon both congratulated themselves 
upon the happy, labour-saving expedient by 
which they had spared themselves a long jour- 
ney. Then they departed, after exchanging 
many compliments, and, dropping once more 
into a frog-hop, leaped back in half the time 
. . . the one to his well, the other to his pond. 
And so to this day the frog in the well knows 
not and believes not in the '' great ocean! " 

Excellent collections of fairy tales have been 
made by F. Hadland Davis — ^ ' Myths and 
Legends of Japan " — and R. Gordon Smith — 
** Ancient Tales and Folklore of Japan.'' Chil- 
dren love to read about Princess Blossoming 
Brilliantly Like the Flowers on the Trees, and 
Princess Long as the Rocks, about Prince Fire 
Shine, and Prince Fire Shade, and the other 
delightful characters with strange names. The 
story of " The Magic Sword, the Glittering 
Jewel and the Heavenly Mirror " is perhaps 
an especial favourite. 

A good example of the legendary narrative 
is that of Hachiro Tametomo the Archer, told 
in English by Madame Ozaki in her ^ ' Warriors 
of Old Japan " and given here much condensed. 



220 The Spell of Japan 



HAGHIRO TAMETOMO THE ARCHER 

Hachiro was the eighth son of an illustrious 
family. As a child he gave promise of being 
a very strong man, and as he grew older this 
promise was more than fulfilled. He early 
showed a love of archery, and his left arm 
being four inches longer than his right, there 
was no one in the realm who could bend the 
bow better or send the arrow farther than he 
could. He became the most skilful archer in 
all Japan. 

By nature Hachiro was a rough, wild lad 
who did not know what fear meant, and he loved 
to challenge his brother, Yoshitomo, to fight. 
As he grew older he grew wilder still, so that 
even his own father found him unmanageable. 
One day a learned man came from the palace 
of the Emperor to give the boy a lecture. In 
the course of his talk he spoke of Kiyomori, 
an enemy of the house, as a clever archer. At 
this Hachiro laughed aloud in scorn, and told 
the learned man that he was both foolish and 
ignorant. 

This rudeness was so contrary to the rules 
of Japanese courtesy that it made the lecturer 
very angry, and when his discourse was finished 



Prose, Poetry and Plays 221 

he rebuked the boy sternly for his behaviour. 
When the boy's father heard what had hap- 
pened he, too, was angry with his son for dar- 
ing to dispute with one who was his elder and 
superior, and refused to keep him any longer 
beneath his roof, sending him away to the 
island of Kyushu. 

Now Hachiro did not mind his banishment 
in the least. On the contrary, he felt like a 
hound let loose from the leash, and rejoiced in 
his liberty. Free to do as he liked at last, his 
thirst for conflict became so great that he could 
not restrain himself. He challenged the men 
in all the neighbouring provinces to match their 
strength against his, and in the twenty battles 
which followed he was never defeated. He was 
like the silkworm eating up the mulberry tree, 
for just as the worm devours one leaf after an- 
other, so Hachiro fought and fought, one after 
another, the inhabitants of all the provinces 
anywhere around, till he had them all under 
subjection. By the time he was eighteen the 
boy had thus mastered the whole western part 
of Japan, and had made himself chief of a large 
band of outlaws noted for their reckless bra- 
very. 

This band became so powerful that the Gov- 
ernment decided to interfere and put a stop to 



222 The Spell of Japan 

the outlawry. A regiment of soldiers was sent 
against them, but without effect : Hachiro could 
not be brought to surrender. As a final resort 
the Government, hoping thus to bring the son 
to bay, arrested Hachiro 's father, and severely 
punished the old man for being the parent of 
an incorrigible rebel. 

Although Hachiro was so rude and undisci- 
plined by nature, there was hidden deep in his 
heart a sense of duty to his father, and on this 
his enemies had counted. He was greatly dis- 
tressed at what had happened, and feeling that 
it was inexcusable to let his father suffer for 
his own misdoings, he gave up, without the 
least hesitation, all the western lands which 
had cost him such hard fighting. Then, ta- 
king with him ten men, he went to the capital 
and sent in a document signed and sealed in 
his own blood, asking the pardon of the Gov- 
ernment for all his former offences and begging 
for the release of his father. When those in 
authority saw his filial piety, they could not 
find it in their hearts to treat him with severity, 
so they merely rebuked him for his lawlessness 
and set the old man free. 

Soon after this a civil war broke out in the 
land, for two brothers of the late Emperor as- 
pired to sit on the Imperial throne. Hachiro 



Prose, Poetry and Plays 223 

and liis father fought on one side, while his 
elder brother, Yoshitomo, fought on the other. 
Hachiro was not yet twenty years of age, but 
was more than seven feet in height. His eyes 
were sharp and piercing, like those of a hawk, 
and he carried himself with pride and noble 
bearing. He was consulted about the tactics 
to be used in a great battle, and if his advice 
had been followed, the history of Japan might 
have been quite different. As it was, the enemy 
won the victory. 

On seeing the foe approaching the gate where 
he was stationed, Hachiro exclaimed, ** You 
feeble worms, I'll surprise you! '^ and taking 
his bow and arrow he shot a samurai through 
the breast. The arrow was carried in alarm to 
the general. It was made from strong bamboo 
and the metal head was like a chisel — it looked 
more like the arrow of a demon than a man, 
and the general retired in fear from before the 
gate. 

When Yoshitomo came up, however, he was 
not afraid, but cried out, ^^ What a wicked 
deed you commit to fight against your elder 
brother! '' To this Hachiro answered, ^^ It is 
wrong for me to take up arms against my 
brother, truly, but are you not an undutiful son 
to take up arms against your father? *' The 



224 The Spell of Japan 

elder brother had no words to answer this, and 
Hachiro knew that he conld kill him as he stood 
there. But they were brothers, born of the 
same mother, and he felt that he could not do 
it. Yet he could not resist raising his bow and 
arrow and taking a good aim at the helmet 
which Yoshitomo wore, shooting his arrow right 
into the middle of the star that topped it. 

In the end Yoshitomo 's forces were so much 
greater that Hachiro and his father were taken 
prisoners. The older man was put to death, 
but Hachiro 's courage aroused sympathy, even 
in the hearts of his foes. It seemed a pity to 
kill so brave a man, and so they set him free. 
But to prevent his using his wonderful skill 
against them they cut the sinews in both his 
arms, and sent him to the island of Oshima. 

The simple island folk recognized in him a 
great man, and he led a happy life among them. 
One day, while standing on the beach thinking 
of his many past adventures, he was seized with 
a desire for more. So, stepping into a boat, 
he set out on a voyage of discovery. He came 
to an island which was inhabited by people 
with dark red faces and shocks of bright red 
hair. Landing, he went up to a large pine-tree 
and uprooted it with as much ease as if it 
were a weed, brandishing it above his head and 



Prose, Poetry and Plays 225 

calling aloud, ^ ^ Come, you demons ! Fight if 
you will ! I am Hachiro Tametomo, the archer 
of Japan. If you will be my servants and look 
up to me as a master in all things, it is well — 
otherwise, I will beat you all to little pieces 1 ' ' 
He could have done it, too, because his arms 
were as strong as ever, notwithstanding the 
sinews had been cut. So the inhabitants pros- 
trated themselves before him, and he took pos- 
session of the island. Later, however, he re- 
turned to Oshima. 

Now the island of Oshima has always been 
free from smallpox, and the reason is that Ha- 
chiro lived there. One day a little man, no 
bigger than one foot ^ve inches, came floating 
in on the waves, sitting on a round straw 
mat. 

** Who are you? " Hachiro asked. 

'* I am the germ of smallpox,'' answered the 
pigmy. 

^^ And why have you come here to Oshima? " 

* * I come to seize hold of the inhabitants ! ' ' 

* ^ You would spread the hateful pestilence — 
Silence! I am Hachiro." 

At that the smallpox microbe shrank and 
shrank until he was the size of a pea, and then 
he floated away for ever, as mysteriously as 
he had come. 



226 The Spell of Japan 

On hearing of this, the Minister of State de- 
cided that Hachiro was becoming too powerful 
and popular a hero. When the young man saw 
the soldiers approaching the island, he seized 
his bow and, pulling it to the shape of a half- 
moon, sent an arrow that upset the boat and 
pitched the soldiers into the sea. After think- 
ing the matter over, however, he decided that 
if he fought against the Government it would 
bring disaster upon the islanders who loved 
him, and it would be better to die at the height 
of his glory. So he committed hara-Jciri and 
thus saved himself from all dishonour and the 
people of Oshima from further trouble. 

Of a different sort altogether is the legend 
of the ' ^ Theft of the Golden Scale, ' ' so charm- 
ingly rendered into English by Mr. Brownell. 

THE THEFT OF THE GOLDEN SCALE 

Daredesuka was a ronin bold, and Eikibo was 
a beautiful geisha. One day Daredesuka asked 
Eikibo to be his wife, a request that geishas 
will generally accept, for it puts them in the 
highest of the four classes of society, ranking 
almost as well as the nobility. But Eikibo only 
laughed and said, '^ Such promises are like the 



Prose, Poetry and Plays 227 

little flies that live a day and then no one knows 
what has become of them! '' 

Daredesuka cried, ^^ It is not so! Give me 
some test, for I must have you know I speak 
the truth. Shall I bring you pearls from the 
deep sea, or golden scales from the dolphins 
on Nagoya Castle? Only say the thing, and 
I will do it, for you must believe me.'* 

Eikibo looked at him and said merrily, ** Yes, 
I must believe you if you bring me a dolphin's 
golden scale from the ridge of the fifth story 
of the tower. I know Nagoya well, for I am 
there every year. Yes, I should know you spoke 
the truth if you brought the scale ! ' ' And she 
laughed again, for to the geisha the parents of 
a truthful man are not yet born. Then she 
added, ^^ Sayonara! My call-time for the Full 
Moon Tea-house over the river has arrived. I 
beg your honourable pardon, I must go now. 
Next month I shall be at the great matsuri at 
Nagoya, where I am to dance. Bring me the 
scale, and I shall know your heart ! ' ' 

Two nights later he was in Nagoya. 

Now Daredesuka was a wonderful man with 
kites. He had made large ones when he was 
with his old lord, and had once dropped a line 
far over a junk that was blowing out to sea, 
and so saved many lives. He decided that he 



228 The Spell of Japan 

would use a kite to get the scale that Eikibo 
had declared would tell if he spoke true. Se- 
cretly he went to work and made a kite so large 
that he was sure it would carry the weight of 
his body. He found another ronin to help him 
in his strange plan, and on a stormy night, in 
wind and rain and clouds, he went up with his 
kite, and secured a golden scale from the ridge 
of the fifth story of the tower. But the tool 
he had used in prying it off was wet and slip- 
pery, and it fell from his hands to the ground 
far beneath him. The guards' attention was 
attracted. At the fatal moment a rift in the 
clouds let the moon shine down, and they dis- 
covered the kite. So it happened that when 
Daredesuka reached the earth they caught him 
with the golden scale. But because he was a 
samurai he was allowed to commit hara-kiri, 
and performed the act serenely before the State 
officials. 

Eikibo did not do the fan dance at the matsuri 
in Nagoya, for on the morning of the day on 
which she was to appear, an old priest found 
her body on Daredesuka 's grave. 

At first it seemed that the opening of the 
country to foreigners was to be a death-blow 
to the old Japanese forms of art and litera- 



Prose, Poetry and Plays 229 

ture. Translations of American and European 
books have become very common, and Western 
ideas permeate their work. But side by side 
with the newer forms, the classic writings are 
again coming into vogue. 

Paradoxical as it may sound, much of the 
classical Japanese literature is Chinese. This 
is especially true of the older works, but it holds 
good only in less degree to-day. Chinese has 
always been the written language of the stu- 
dents, and of the higher classes in general, 
while Japanese was considered fit only for the 
common people, much as English was regarded 
down to the time of More's *^ Utopia.'' But 
while written in Chinese characters, much of 
this literature is distinctly national in spirit 
and feeling, and belongs as much to the coun- 
try as does that written in the native tongue. 
Only within recent times has the common lan- 
guage of the people been used for writing books 
and scholarly treatises. 

Previous to the introduction of the Chinese 
ideographs in the early Christian centuries, the 
Japanese had no written language. A knowl- 
edge of these ideographs places all Chinese lit- 
erature at the service of the Japanese scholar. 
There are over eighty thousand characters, and 
three ways of writing as well as of pronouncing 



230 The SpeU of Japan 

each, but one finds that most people know only 
about five or six thousand. 

The great classical period, corresponding 
perhaps to the Elizabethan Era, covers about 
five hundred years, from the eighth to the 
twelfth centuries. During this time history, 
romance, and poetry flourished. The Japanese 
record of ancient happenings, dealing with 
early history and mythology, dates back to 
712 A. D. and is sometimes called the Bible of 
Japan. The romances, many of which were 
written by women, described the Court life of 
the tenth and eleventh centuries. Most of the 
verses were written in the short tanka form, 
but longer ones, comprising groups of these 
stanzas, were common. 

In later times Bakin (1767-1848) became fa- 
mous for his novels. One of these — the * ^ Tale 
of Eight Dogs" — contains no less than one 
hundred and six small volumes. 

In spite of the fact that Kozo Ozaki was born 
less than fifty years ago, he is regarded as the 
Father of Japanese Literature. His work may 
be likened to that of making a stone palace from 
a prehistoric cave, for he simplified and unified 
the language, which was a mixture of the schol- 
arly speech of the stage with the modern vulgar 
tongue. Ozaki was a perfect type of the gen- 



Prose, Poetry and Plays 231 

tleman of Old Japan. He was an artist as 
well as an author, and also an orator, people 
flocking to hear him speak. A group of young 
writers was formed in his time, but he was 
distinctly the leader. His stories were mostly 
of love. Among the seventy volumes published 
before his death (at the age of thirty-seven) 
*' The Confessions of a Lover," ^^ Three 
Wives,'' and ** The Golden Demon " are espe- 
cially well known. Among his most noted con- 
temporaries were Rohan Koda and Kyoka 
Izumi, the latter of whom was termed the Jap- 
anese Maeterlinck. 

To-day Osaki Batsume is one of the most 
prominent writers. He was born in Tokyo in 
1867, and is said to have taken George Mere- 
dith as his model. One of his best known 
works is ^' Botchan," which is on the order of 
'' Tom Brown's School Days." Much satire, 
and much philosophy, are found in his books, 
but he shows little sympathy with the follies 
of this life. His local colour and descriptions 
of social life are excellent, and he attacks the 
imperfections of his day with good effect. He 
is considered the master writer of modern 
times. 

Many writers and books might be mentioned, 
but I want to speak of Dr. Nitobe, whose ** Bu- 



232 The Spell of Japan 

sMdo '^ and ^' Japanese Nation " are known 
the world over. His wife is a charming Amer- 
ican woman, and he has been exchange profes- 
sor with America. I quote two of his essays 
that I especially like. 



HEART AND CONSCIENCE 

In thy sweet tremulous voice whisper in my 
ears what thou fain wouldst have. And the 
Heart confided her secret of love to Conscience. 
Said he in harsh tones of rebuke, *' Thou most 
foolish one! Thy love is bom of flesh. Thou 
shalt never behold the face of thy beloved. 
Thou art utterly corrupt.'' The poor Heart 
wept its bitterest; but her sobs stern Con- 
science heeded not; they reached the ears of 
the angels only. 

THE SOUL'S QUEST OF GOD 

Oft have I asked the question, God, who 
art Thou? Where art Thou? And each time 
the answer comes in softest voice, Who art thou 
that askest Who I am? What thou art, that 
I am, and what I am art thou. And where art 
thou that askest where I am? Where thou art, 
there am I — and where I am, there art thou. 



Prose, Poetry and Plays 233 

In worshipping God we worship ourselves, 
and in worshipping ourselves we worship God. 
The real self is within us, the essence of the 
Ego is divine. We clothe it in the rags of flesh 
and of fleshly desires, until the divine self is 
hid; and we call that self which does not 
strictly belong to it. 

Japanese poetry differs very largely from 
anything with which we are familiar. It has 
little if any rhythm, as we understand rhythm. 
The tanka was for many years the only form 
of verse known. It has five lines and thirty- 
one syllables, which are arranged 5-7-5-7-7. 
This is an unusual metre to our ears, and trans- 
lators are obliged to change the verses some- 
what in order to make them sound more famil- 
iar to English readers. The following poem 
by the late Emperor is typical : — 

THE NEW YEAR PINE 

" Atarashiki 

Toshi no hogigoto 
Kiku niwa ni 

Yorodzu yo yobo-o 
Noki no matsu kaze! " 

" While New Year celebration fills my mind and heart, 
I seem to hear above the palace eaves apart, 



234 The Spell of Japan 

Winds calling midst the pines my garden doth adorn; 
The voice of comitless generations yet unborn! " 

By Meiji Tenno. 
Translated by Mrs. Douglas Adams. 

Japanese classical poetry consists of poetical 
ideas expressed in flowery language and packed 
into the regulation metre. It abounds in word- 
plays and all sorts of puns, but is absolutely 
free from any trace of vulgarity. In those 
early days philosophy, religion, and satire were 
not considered fit themes for poetic treatment. 

There is an even more Lilliputian form of 
verse than the tanka, called the holcku, which 
contains only seventeen syllables, often with 
little or no rhyme. An example of this form 
given by Lafcadio Hearn is known as *^ Vaga- 
bondage," and is a good example of much in 
little: *' Heavily falls the rain on the hat that 
I stole from the scarecrow." Two others of 
quite a different trend are particularly exqui- 
site: *' What I saw as a fallen blossom return- 
ing to the branch — lo! it was a butterfly." 
^ ' So lovely in its cry — What were the cuckoo 
if it laughed? " 

The Japanese believe that if the beauty sug- 
gested in the five lines of a tanka verse cannot 
be fully appreciated by the reader, there is 
something hopelessly deficient in that reader. 



Prose, Poetry and Plays 235 

They do not believe in '^ smothering the soul 
with many words.'* 

Perhaps what strikes one most in connection 
with the classic verses is the dates at which they 
were written, for many that have come down 
to us were composed a thousand years ago. 
Indeed, Japanese poetry is older than Japanese 
history, and tradition says that there were 
many versifiers even in the days of the mytho- 
logical Emperor, Jimmu Tenno. At any rate, 
Japan had a literature of its own long before 
the Northmen found America ! 

In the old days only nobles, Court officials 
and church dignitaries wrote poetry. The 
lower classes were not supposed to know any- 
thing about the art. Love and ** picture *' 
poems were popular, and it is wonderful what 
perfect thumb-nail sketches were composed. It 
has been said that * ^ the predominating feature, 
the under-current that runs through them all, 
is a touch of pathos. ... It shows out in the 
cherry blossoms which are doomed to fall, the 
dewdrops scattered by the wind, the mournful 
cry of the wild deer on the mountain, the dying 
crimson of the fallen maple leaves, the weird 
sadness of the cuckoo singing in the moonlight, 
and the loneliness of the recluse in the wilds. 

'* The souls of children are often pictured as 



236 The Spell of Japan 

playing in a celestial garden with the same 
flowers and butterflies they used to play with 
while on earth. It is just this subtle element of 
the childlike disposition that has helped to dis- 
cover the secrets of flowers and birds and trees, 
has enabled them to catch their timorous fleet- 
ing shadows and to hold them, as if by magic, in 
a picture, on a vase, or in a delicate and wist- 
ful poem." 

* * ^ Do not say anything unkind, but compose 
a poem. Is your best-beloved dead? Do not 
yield to useless grief, but try to calm your 
mind by making a poem. Are you troubled 
because you are about to die, leaving so many 
things unfinished? Be brave, and write a poem 
to death. Whatever misfortune or injustice 
disturbs you, put aside your resentment or 
your sorrow as soon as possible, and write a 
few lines of sober and elegant verse for a moral 
exercise.' " Thus Hearn translates from an 
ancient writer, and then goes on to say : 

** In the olden days every form of trouble 
was encountered with a poem. Bereavement, 
separation, disaster, called forth verses in lieu 
of plaints. The lady who preferred death to 
loss of honour composed a poem before piercing 
her throat. The samurai sentenced to die by 
his own hand wrote a poem before performing 



Prose, Poetry and Plays 237 

hara-kiri. Even in this less romantic era of 
Meiji young people resolved upon suicide are 
wont to compose some verses before quitting 
the world." 

These three little love-poems, which have 
been translated into English by William Por- 
ter, were written during the tenth century — 
the first one in 961 a. d. by the Imperial Ad- 
viser, Asa-Tada. 

" To fall in love with womankind 
Is my unlucky fate: 
If only it were otherwise, 

I might appreciate 
Some men, whom now I hate." 

The second, by Kanemori Taira, was com- 
posed in 949 A. D. : 

" Alas! the blush upon my cheek, 
Conceal it as I may, 
Proclaims to all that I'm in love, 

TiU people smile and say — " 

Where are thy thoughts to-day? " 

The last one was written in the same year by 
the minister of the Kawara district of Kyoto: 

" Ah, why does love distract my thoughts, 
Disordering my will! 
I'm like the pattern on the cloth 

Of Michinoku hill, 
All in confusion still." 



238 The Spell of Japan 

Japan has not been without her women poets. 
Lady Horikawa, who wrote this bit of verse, 
lived in the twelfth century and was in attend- 
ance on the Dowager Empress Taiken. The 
poem is dated 1142, and, like the others, was 
translated by Mr. Porter. 

" My doubt about his constancy 

Is difficult to bear; 
Tangled this morning are my thoughts 

As is my long black hair. 
I wonder — does he care? '' 

The Empress Jito lived in the seventh cen- 
tury. She was the daughter of an Emperor and 
became Empress on the death of her husband, 
the Emperor Tennu. During her reign sake 
was first made. She wrote: 

" The spring has gone, the summer's come, 

And I can just descry 
The peak of Ama-no-kagu, 

Where angels of the sky 
Spread their white robes to dry." 

Daini-No-Sammi, who was the daughter of a 
poet, composed this pretty verse: 

" As fickle as the mountain gusts 

That on the moor I've met, 
'Twere best to think no more of thee 

And let thee go. But yet 
I never can forget! " 



Prose, Poetry and Plays 239 

Old age seems a favourite subject. Tsure 
Yuki Kino was a nobleman at Court and one 
of the great classical poets. He died in the 
middle of the tenth century. 

" The village of my youth is gone, 

New faces meet my gaze; 
But still the blossoms at the gate, 

Whose perfume scents the ways, 
Recall my childhood's days." 

Jealousy is the theme of many of the verses : 

" Where many a tree 
Crowns Takasu Hill, 
Does mj^ wife see 
My vanishing sleeve 
And so take leave? '* 

Of the many picture poems, this is consid- 
ered one of the best : 

" Out of the East, 
Over the field, 
The dawn is breaking — 

I turn to the West, 
And the moon hangs low! " 

Another picture poem is by the late Emperor : 

" Kie nokoru 

Matsu no kokage no 
Shirayuki ni 
Ariake no tsuki! " 



240 The Spell of Japan 

" At dawn, how cold the waiting moon doth shine 
On remnants of snow beneath the pine! " 

By MEui Tenno. 
Translated by Mrs. Douglas Adams. 

That the poetry of Japan is not without its 
hnmour is shown by the following comic song, 
which deals with a subject of universal in- 
terest : 

" In the shadow of the mountain 

What is it that shines so? 
Moon is it? or star? or is it the firefly insect? 

Neither is it moon, 
Nor yet star. . . . 

It is the old woman's eye — it is the eye 
Of my mother-in-law that shines! " 

Modern poetry is read by every one, and 
composed by every one. Poems are written on 
tablets and hung or suspended in the houses; 
they are everywhere, printed on all useful and 
household articles. I quote a poem called 
*^ The Beyond," which was published in a re- 
cent issue of the Japan Magazine, It shows 
not only a change of form, but of theme as well. 

*' Thou standest at the brink. Behind thy back 
Stretch the fair, flower-decked meadows, full of light. 
And pleasant change of wooded hill and dale 
With tangled scrub of thorn and bramble bush, 



Prose, Poetry and Plays 241 

Which men call life. Lo! now thy travelled foot 

Stands by the margin of the silent pool; 
And, as thou standest, thou fearest, lest some hand 

Come from behind, and push thee suddenly 
Into its cold, dark depths. 



" Thou needst not fear; 
The hidden depths have their own fragrance too, 

And he that loves the grasses of the field, 
With fragrant lilies decks the still pool's face. 

With weeds the dark recesses of the deep; 
March boldly on, nor fear the sudden plunge. 

Nor ask where ends life's meadow-land. 
E'en the dark pool hath its own fragrant flowers.'* 

The two young poets, Horoslii Yosano and 
his wife Akiko, are known as the Brownings of 
Japan. Yosano was editing a small magazine 
of verse not long ago when the poetess Akiko 
sent him one of her maiden efforts for publica- 
tion. A meeting followed, and in spite of pov- 
erty — for poets are poor in Japan as else- 
where — they fell in love and were presently 
married. They went to France, and were made 
much of by the young poets of Paris. Yosano 
is something of a radical, impatient of poetic 
conventions and thoroughly in harmony with 
the new spirit of Japan. The power of Akiko 's 
work is suggested in a poem of hers called 
^* The Priest." 



242 The Spell of Japan 

"Soft is thy skin: 
Thou hast never touched blood, 
O teacher of ways 
Higher than mortal: 
How lonely thou art! " 

The Japanese drama has not held so high a 
place as have the other forms of literature, for 
the stage was regarded for many years as noth- 
ing more than a rather common and even vul- 
gar means of amusement. The classic drama, 
represented by the No dances, was partly re- 
ligious and had more prestige, but there have 
been few good dramatists. The stage is of in- 
terest, however, because it is the only place left 
where one may study the manners and customs 
of long ago. 

To give a brief summary of this art — the 
Japanese drama, like the ancient Greek, and the 
English also, had its origin in religion. In the 
very earliest days there were crude religious 
dances and songs. Later, popular tales of his- 
tory and legend, mixed with poetry, were dram- 
atized. Minstrels often recited these to the 
accompaniment of the lute. Marionette dances 
accompanied by songs were also popular. Since 
these performances were regarded as beneath 
the consideration of the nobility, the No per- 
formance with a chorus came into existence for 



Prose, Poetry and Plays 243 

their benefit. After the earlier form had be- 
come debased and vulgarized the No dances 
kept their ancient ceremonial character, and 
continued to be performed before Shogun and 
samurai, and even before the Imperial fam- 
ily. They developed into something very like 
the classic drama of Greece. The actors were 
masked, the plays were held in the open air 
with no scenery but with elaborate costumes, 
and had a religious quality which they have 
retained to the present day. As the No is very 
long, comedy pieces were introduced, like the 
** interludes '' of the pre-Elizabethan stage, to 
offset the classical severity. The actors have 
always been of a better class than the kahuti, 
or players for the common people. 

Takeda Izuma is one of the most celebrated 
play writers, having dramatized the story of 
the Forty-Seven Eonins, as well as other his- 
toric tales. Chikamatsu is sometimes called the 
Shakespeare of Japan ; his best work is a play 
in which the expulsion of the Dutch from For- 
mosa is used as a theme. He was a prolific 
writer of rather a sensational order. Samba, 
who has taken the name of Ikku, is one of the 
best dramatists of the present time, and is re- 
nowned throughout Japan. 

Hitherto myths, legends — religious or secu- 



244 The Spell of Japan 

lar — and folklore, as well as passages from 
Japanese history, have been the material used 
for plays. To-day, however, novels are drama- 
tized as with us, and many plays are translated. 
Western dramas are having a great vogue at 
present. 

Whether the plays are original or not, the 
author's name frequently does not appear at 
all. When Miss Scidmore, the author of ^* Jin- 
rikisha Days," asked a great tragedian who 
wrote the play in which he was appearing, the 
star was puzzled and said that he did not un- 
derstand. A bystander explained that it was 
based on newspaper accounts of various catas- 
trophies, made into some sort of scenario by 
a hack-writer, with the stage-effects planned 
by the manager and the dialogue written by 
the actors — each of whom composed his own 
lines! No wonder the tragedian was puzzled 
by the question. As a rule, however, the dra- 
matic author has entire charge of the produc- 
tion — he writes the play, arranges the scenes, 
and consults with the leading actor and pro- 
prietor. 




CHAPTER XI 

AMUSEMENTS 

S the traveller 's first idea on reaching 
land after a long voyage is to enjoy 
himself, I am going to suggest sev- 
eral forms of amusement. Perhaps 
I had better begin b}'^ trying to answer what 
is sure to be his first question — '^ Where is 
the best tea-house mth the prettiest geisha 
girls? " 

We found that the most celebrated geishas 
were in Kyoto, where the dancing is classic, a 
model for the rest of the country. Here were 
also the best-trained maihos, or little dancers. 
The Tchirild, or One-Power, Tea-house, which 
we visited, is one of the most famous in the 
country, for here in the long-ago Oishi, leader 
of the Forty-Seven Eonins, resorted in order 
to mislead the emissaries sent out to watch him 
by pretending dissipation and cowardliness. 
There is a shrine in the tea-house to the re- 
vered hero. 

245 



246 The Spell of Japan 

The place is very typical, with its clean- 
matted rooms and its tiny garden with minia- 
ture features of rock and water, its lanterns and 
stepping-stones, its gnarled trees and clumped 
bamboo. At the entrance to this tea-house we 
removed our shoes and passed over the soft 
mats into the simple, pretty rooms, open to the 
air and overlooking the lovely garden. 

It took some time for the little entertainers 
to gather, for they are not used to haste. In 
the meantime we sat on mats while tea and 
saJce were served by the naisan, or maids, who 
shave off their eyebrows in order to make 
themselves plainer and so set off the beauty 
of the dancers. They came slipping in and 
falling upon their knees before us, bowing low 
and presenting the tiny cups for drinking — all 
a matter of much ceremony and etiquette when 
politely done. 

Finally some wee maikos came shuffling in 
with their quaint dress and hair make-up, their 
whitened faces and painted lips, and knelt 
among us in picturesque attitudes. These 
maikos are girls of from ten to thirteen years 
of age who are learning to be geishas. Follow- 
ing them came the geishas themselves — the 
older dancers — and then the musicians began 
to tune and twang their instruments, and to 




2 « 

o -« 



C b£ 






Amusements 247 



chant the monotonous songs that tell the stories 
of the dancing. 

Our eyes grew big with wonder and delight 
as the figures were taken up in turn, one after 
another — movements grotesque, but oh, so 
dainty and quaint! Such posturing in ador- 
ably awkward attitudes! Such sliding with 
tiny feet turned inward, heads and hands at 
all angles, eyes askew! To one to whom their 
dancing has become familiar, it is all so fasci- 
nating and fanciful, so full of delight and grace 
and meaning ! 

Tomiji and Kanoko, both maikos — dear tiny 
figures in gay garments and huge ohis — 
danced the Story of the Stone Bridge. One of 
them was a peony, and the other was a lion! 
Then a geisha, Harikiku, or the Spring Chrys- 
anthemum, danced the Story of the Spring 
Rain, which has a theme like that of Eomeo and 
Juliet, as old as the hills -7- only now one of 
the lovers was a nightingale while the other 
was a plum. 

So they postured and made picture after pic- 
ture, and when it was over, came and sat 
among us to help pass the tea and saM and 
cake and fruits that had been so daintily pre- 
pared. After that there was more dancing, 
and we took our leave amid much laughter and 



248 The Spell of Japan 

many sayonaras and wishes for a speedy re- 
turn from our cheery little entertainers. 

The geishas of Kyoto dress in more subdued 
colors than they do elsewhere. An American 
woman would be impressed by the cost of some 
of the kimonos, for no expense is spared in 
making them as beautiful as possible. The de- 
signs are carefully thought out, and an artist 
is selected to execute them. After the work is 
completed the stencils are usually destroyed, so 
that the pattern may never be duplicated. 

These girls are the professional entertainers 
of Japan. They can be called to private houses, 
as well as to tea-houses, to help pass the time 
with their dancing and singing, and are culti- 
vated in all the arts and graces that may add 
to their ability to please. Thus a geisha not 
only sings and dances attractively, but she is 
a trained conversationalist as well. She is not 
necessarily immoral, as Westerners often im- 
agine. It is not uncommon even to-day for a 
girl to die by her own hand because she loves 
a man who, for some reason, cannot marry her. 
Many Japanese believe, however, that geishas 
are dangerous, designing and hard-hearted 
creatures, related to fox-women — a kind of 
goblin-ghost believed in by the ignorant. 

The geisha's songs are usually of love, the 



Amusements 249 



universal theme, and are sung to the notes of 
the samisen. They correspond to our classic 
love songs, but are much more popular among 
the lower classes than any music is with us, 
unless it be rag-time! The sentiment and 
phrasing are often fairy-like in their delicacy 
and charm, but, of course, much of this is lost 
in translation. The following is one of the 
chief favourites — it depicts ' * a lover, when 
the landscape is white with snow, going to the 
window to look out before he takes his de- 
parture. '^ His lady-love seeks to delay his 
going, and this is the song: 

" In vain thy cloak do I hide, Love, 

And in vain to thy sleeve do I cling; 
Wilt thou no longer abide. Love, 

Nor give me for Winter, fond Spring? 
I push back the window so slightly, 

And point to the snow-burdened land: 
O Love, wilt thou leave me thus lightly, 

And choose the cold snow for my hand? " 

The little quip at the end which turns this 
one from a love song to a tribute to the moon 
has doubtless teased many an ardent wooer: 

" In the wide, wide world 
Of woes and tears, 
Let us find a narrow spot 
To Uve together, 



250 The Spell of Japan 

You and I, 

Until the world 
Is quite forgot, 

O my sweet — 
Moon that shines 

In my little window! " 

Perhaps the best known tea-house in Tokyo 
is the Maple-Leaf Club. We dined there one 
evening when there was a fine full moon, and 
the lovely, mysterious little garden was like a 
dream in the glorious night. The meal was 
served on the lacquer service by dainty geishas 
as we sat on the soft mats, while delightful 
dances were performed before us. Our favour- 
ite was the spider dance, in spite of its name, 
but we enjoyed them all, and even the music 
of the samisen and hoto, which many foreigners 
do not care for. This house is famous for its 
excellent dancing and its pretty girls. 

One feature of the meal which is character- 
istic of a Japanese dinner we could have easily 
dispensed with — that was the live fish, which 
was served to us still breathing, with a knife in 
its side, to show that it was perfectly fresh. 

Theatre-going in Japan is a source of end- 
less enjoyment. There is a big and quite beau- 
tiful opera house in Tokyo where the national 
plays, both old and new, as well as European 



Amusements 251 



opera with Japanese words, are given. Here 
the combination of East and West is very inter- 
esting. The audience, although for the most 
part wearing Japanese clothes, sits in seats 
instead of on mats. It is said that when the 
first European opera company came to Tokyo 
and the leading lady took her high notes, the 
audience was so con^oilsed with laughter that 
the manager had to pull down the curtain. 

The English plays and the light operas given 
by the Japanese strike one as amusing. It al- 
ways seems strange to see Orientals in Euro- 
pean dress, and one never gets used to their 
ballet on account of their queerly shaped legs, 
which have been made crooked by ages of sit- 
ting upon them. 

A sample program of a performance given 
at the Imperial Theatre in Tokyo, * ' Daily from 
5th January, 1913," at 4.30 p.m., names five 
plays: 1. ^* The Soga Vendetta," a musical 
drama in one act, laid in the twelfth century; 
2. *' Muneto," an historical drama in four 
scenes, representing Kyoto in the eleventh cen- 
tury ; 3. ^ ^ Maria de Cronville, ' ' a musical pan- 
tomime in four scenes, Paris in the reign of 
Louis XIV; 4. ^^ The Woman Hater," a mod- 
ern farce in two acts, the settings representing 
the garden of a hotel in Kamakura and a room 



252 The Spell of Japan 

in a *^ hospital for mental diseases; " and 5. 
^^ The Merry Ferry," a musical drama in one 
scene, representing a ferry landing in Yedo in 
the eighteenth century. It would be an exact- 
ing taste which did not find something to satisfy 
it in a generous bill like this ! 

Most of the theatres are still quite Japanese. 
They are built of wood and so flimsily as to 
be full of draughts. The stage extends across 
one side of the square auditorium, whose slo- 
ping floor is divided into boxes two yards 
wide by low railings, which can be used as 
bridges by patrons arriving late or departing 
early. There is one gallery with boxes in front 
and room behind where the lower classes may 
stand. The actors enter the stage by means 
of two long raised platforms called '^ flower- 
paths," which extend across the auditorium — 
they receive their name from the custom of 
strewing the way of a popular actor with blos- 
soms when he appears. These paths have been 
given up in the Imperial Theatre, as have 
also in some cases the little '^ supers," dressed 
in black in order that they may be considered 
invisible, who were of great service in perfect- 
ing the details of a stage-picture. But the old 
methods are still used in most of the theatres. 

When an actor wishes to disappear from the 



Amusements 253 



audience lie may leave the stage by the flower- 
paths, he may vanish into the wings, or — 
more simply still — he may hold np a small 
curtain in front of him and so accomplish the 
desired effect. 

The revolving stage is used oftener in Japan 
than it is in Euroj)e, to say nothing of America, 
where it is practically unknown. It allows 
quick changes of scene, for one setting may be 
arranged out of sight in the rear of the stage 
while another is in use before the audience. 
Instead of having the curtains lowered between 
the acts, the audience is often allowed to see 
the stage turn, which is interesting. 

The plays usually begin at half -past four in 
the afternoon and last until eleven in the eve- 
ning. A play may run for several days, or 
there may be three or four at one performance. 
During the intermissions the audience goes out 
and gets dinner at one of the score of restau- 
rants in the building. 

Although stage people are looked up to a 
little more than formerly, they are still re- 
garded as a rather low class. Madame Sada 
Yakko is perhaps the best known actress of 
the new school, for she met with great success, 
not only on the Parisian stage in 1900, but later 
in America as well. Danjuro, Kikugoro, and 



254 The Spell of Japan' 

Sadanji, the greatest actors of the Japanese 
stage, are all dead. To-day the best are Sojuro 
and Sawamura, who take women ^s parts, and 
Koshiro Matsumoto, who takes men's. 

On a previous visit we spent a day at the 
Theatre Nakamuraza, which was then the finest 
in Tokyo. Danjuro, who was playing there, 
'^ supported by a strong company, including 
the great comedian Tsuruzo,'' was the favour- 
ite actor of the time and delighted a large audi- 
ence. I do not feel competent to judge his 
acting, as I saw him only once, but critics say 
that he was much like Henry Irving, and one 
of the world's greatest artists of the old school. 
There is a marked difference between good 
Japanese acting and the inferior article, the 
former is so much more natural, with less that 
is grotesque and ranting. 

The founder of the Japanese drama is sup- 
posed to have been a woman — Kuni, a 
priestess of the temple at Kitzuki. She was 
as beautiful as she was pure, and was skilled 
in the dances which are supposed to delight the 
gods. One day, however, she fell in love with 
a * * wave-man " — a ronin — and fled with him 
to Tokyo. Here her dancing and her beauty 
soon made her famous. Not satisfied with this, 
she and her lover — who was also her devoted 




AN ACTOR OF THE PRESENT DAY. 



Amusements 255 



pupil — became actors, and were the first to 
put secular plays on the stage. While still 
quite young the '^ wave-man " died, and 
Kuni left the stage for ever. She cut off her 
wonderful long hair and became a Buddliist 
nun, spending the rest of her life writing 
poems. From her day until recent times 
women have not been allowed to appear on 
the stage, men taking all the parts as in the 
plays of ancient Greece and old England. To- 
day, however, women often take part with the 
men, as with us. 

The old plays are very interesting and well 
done, the costumes being superb and the sce- 
nery excellent. The characters consist for the 
most part of samurai and daimyos, two or three 
of whom are either killed or commit hara-kiri 
during the performance. While their postures 
mean little to our eyes, to a Japanese every 
movement has its significance. When the act- 
ors pose and stamp around and finally kill 
themselves, the audience weeps in sympathy. 
The speeches are in the scholarly language, 
which only the better educated (very few of 
whom are women) can understand. This fact 
accounts for the large amount of sensational 
action which is considered necessary to hold 
the attention of the common people. One result 



256 The Spell of Japan 

of the many liistorical dramas given in the 
theatres is that the lower classes know and 
revere their national heroes. 

In the early days of the theatre masks were 
much nsed. They were made to express sad- 
ness, hatred or amusement, and the actors chose 
them to fit the part they had to play. Often 
they portrayed the faces of well-known persons, 
and these were especially popular. If the act- 
ors wished to represent divinities or devils 
they had masks coloured black, red, green, or 
gold, often with real hair on them. The custom 
of masking on the stage was given up at the 
end of the seventeenth century. 

One day we went to a native theatre and sat 
cross-legged in a box for over three hours, 
watching with real interest the exciting legend- 
ary romance of the famous Forty-Seven Eo- 
nins, whose story is told in another chapter. 
This was a very long play which had already 
taken twenty days, from eight in the morning 
till five in the afternoon, and would require 
three days more to finish it. The dialogue was, 
of course, quite unintelligible, but the play was 
nevertheless very interesting, for there was 
always a lot of action. The hero was truly 
superb — by a glance of his eye or a threatened 
blow he could knock down a whole stage-full 



Amusements 257 



of men! There was a very realistic suicide, 
with spurting blood and many gurglings. The 
acting was a trifle exaggerated — at times even 
grotesque and absurd — but I could follow the 
thread of events quite easily. 

Some clever tumbling and acrobatic feats 
were introduced after the play, and a really 
funny funny-man, but to me the most amusing 
thing was to see an assistant come out on the 
stage after some especially violent scene and 
proceed to mop the perspiration from the act- 
ors' faces, walking coolly off again when his 
errand of mercy was accomplished. 

The costumes and stage-effects were rather 
showy. There were no drop-scenes or flies. 
The people sat on the floor in their little stalls, 
and drank their tea or sake and nibbled their 
cakes, coming and going as they wished. 

The monkey theatres, where monkeys take 
the parts of men and women, should not be 
forgotten. The apes seem to enter into their 
roles with great spirit and energy. They are 
dressed in complete costumes to represent 
farmers, nobles, or two-sworded samurai, and 
they weep and rant and slay each other through 
the length of a classic play in the most natural 
manner. Their performance of comedy, trag- 
edy, and drama generally, is absurdly human. 



258 The Spell of Japan 

There are men behind the scenes who tell the 
story of the action that is going on, but the 
monkeys themselves do everything but speak. 
Now and then, however, they forget their cues 
and the action stops till they are prompted. 
One ^' high officer," who came on to the stage 
on a big black dog for a horse, caused much 
confusion by refusing to dismount and kill his 
enemy, because the enemy, being a very well- 
trained monkey, insisted upon falling dead 
anyhow. These theatres are very small and 
can easily be moved about from place to place, 
like a Punch and Judy show. 

Once while we were in Tokyo there came to 
town ^* The Eoyal Australian Circus," which 
gave two performances a day to crowded 
houses — or rather tents. As if the idea of 
a circus in the heart of Japan were not a suf- 
ficiently striking contrast, they pitched their 
tents, each with its familiar ring and sawdust, 
almost within the shadow of an ancient temple. 
For a few yen you got a box with red cotton 
trimmings and watched ^ * Mr. Merry-man ' ' get 
off his jokes in cockney English and Yokohama 
mixed. The show itself was poor, both in qual- 
ity and quantity, and peanuts — the funda- 
mental element of a proper circus — were 
wholly lacking. 



Amusements 259 



Moving-picture shows are very popular in 
Japan as elsewhere. Once, when we were 
lunching at the hotel in Yokohama, a very 
pretty American woman made up as a Japa- 
nese came into the room, attracting a great 
deal of attention. We were quite unable to 
make out the situation, but were afterward 
told that she belonged to an American moving- 
picture company and had just come in from 
rehearsal. 

Everywhere the '* movie " is taking the place 
of the story-teller, who used to hire a room 
and tell over and over the tales of love and 
adventure which the people enjoy. Only the 
more prosperous can afford to see the geishas 
dance, but crowds flock to see them on the 
screen. They also see their native plays acted 
quite as realistically as on the stage, where the 
actors might as well be dumb since they do 
not speak the common language. 

Perhaps for the first time the kinematograph 
has been of use in making history instead of 
simply recording it. When the Crown Prince 
of Korea was taken to Japan to receive his 
education, rumours were circulated among the 
Koreans that he was badly treated and was 
in reality a prisoner. There was great danger 
of an uprising in his behalf, but the Japanese 



260 The Spell of Japan 

Government Mt upon the happy expedient of 
having the young man followed through a whole 
day's routine by a man with a moving-picture 
camera. .When his subjects saw their Prince 
looking well and happy, learning his lessons 
and playing games with his friends, their fears 
were allayed and trouble was averted. 

Mr. Arnell and Mr. Arnold, of the Embassy, 
took lessons in Japanese acting, and Mr. Arnell 
was able to make up extraordinary faces and 
to kill himself, apparently in the greatest pain. 
Of course he dressed in costume, and with his 
tahis on he would make his big toe stand up 
in true Japanese style, and would slash with 
his sword very realistically. Mr. Arnold, in 
one of the plays they learned together, took 
the part of a girl named Cherry Blossom ; he 
did it very well indeed. 

The English and American colonies often 
give theatricals : a performance of the * ' Mer- 
chant of Venice '' at the opera house was ex- 
cellent. We enjoyed it, and the Japanese stu- 
dents flocked to see it. 

Sports of various kinds are occasionally in- 
dulged in. The annual fall exhibition, at which 
L. was present during one of his earlier visits, 
takes place late in October. The sports were 
held in the compound of the University grounds. 




MR. ARNELL AND MR. ARNOLD IN A JAPANESE PLAY. 



Amusements 261 



which was beautifully decorated in honour of 
the heir-apparent — the present Emperor — 
then a good-looking little fellow about ten years 
old, who sat on a green baize chair on a raised 
platform, surrounded by chamberlains and of- 
ficers. There were obstacle races, and the 220 
on a turf track was run in 27 seconds, the 440 
in 60% seconds. A race between professors 
created great amusement, and a sprint between 
champions of the different schools was enthusi- 
astically followed. 

** The annual fall meeting of the Nippon 
Eace Club,'' wrote L. during his visit in 1889, 
'* was held the last of October. This is quite a 
successful club, and is the racing association 
at Yokohama. They have a pretty course out 
behind the Bluff, pretty from an aesthetic point 
of view only, however, for it is a bad track 
with a regular Tottenham Corner near the fin- 
ish. The meeting proved to be great fun and 
quite exciting. The runners are limited to 
China and Hokkaido ponies — little brutes be- 
tween 12.1 and 14.1 hands — and though the 
time is slow the finishes are generally close 
and exciting. In one race, the Yokohama plate, 
one mile and three-quarters, the three leaders 
finished within a nose of each other. The great 
interest is, of course, in the betting. There 



262 The Spell of Japan 

is always a tremendous amount of gambling in 
the Orient, and these meetings prove excep- 
tional opportunities for this spirit to exhibit 
itself. 

*^ The second day's racing was graced by the 
presence of His Imperial Majesty [the late 
Emperor] and his suite, and so was the great 
day of the meeting, and a great day for Yoko- 
hama also. The Emperor seldom leaves his 
palace, but his earthly half — for he is still 
considered half divine by the people — is fond 
of horses and of horse-racing, and he makes 
this one of the occasions on which he does ex- 
hibit himself. He was very ceremoniously 
treated. After the last race he was driven 
around the track in his carriage of State, 
surrounded by lancers, for the benefit of 
the thousands who had come out to Negishi 
Hill to pay their respects to their sover- 
eign. ' * 

Near Uyeno Park in Tokyo there is a race- 
course, but it is not so popular as it was a few 
years ago, for the Japanese are not horsemen. 
The horse of Nippon is thoroughly a beast, and 
stubborn, and this fact created variety and in- 
terest when L. visited the riding-school. The 
French method was used in those days — hands 
out in front, body bent forward — and they 



Amusements 263 



retained the old custom of short stirrups and 
knees elevated toward the chin. 

The grounds of the school were good. There 
were about seventy horses, but L. said that 
only a few half-breed ones were passable, for 
the thoroughbred Japanese ponies were bull- 
necked, mule-hoofed, and had miserable quar- 
ters. Since those days, however, horses from 
Australia and Arabia have been introduced, 
and although they are said not to thrive very 
well in Japan, they have improved the stock 
considerably. 

A typical amusement of the country is wres- 
tling. The professional wrestler is a man of 
no mean rank, standing far above merchants, 
farmers, and actors in the social scale. His 
family has probably been devoted to wrestling 
for generations, and he has been trained from 
childhood and fed on special food to make him 
big and strong. If he is a famous fighter his 
patron, who is doubtless some great nobleman, 
is very proud of him, and the people of his 
province look upon him as little less than a 
demi-god. 

Although the ladies all go to bull-fights in 
Spain, very few go to wrestling-matches in 
Japan. Foreign women are apt to consider it 
a brutal sport, somewhat on the order of our 



264 The Spell of Japan 

prize-fighting, because the wrestlers are so fat 
and dreadful looking. But there is no fist- 
fighting, and the skill is so great that I found 
it very interesting. You can always tell the 
wrestlers when you see them, because they wear 
their hair done in old-fashioned style, some- 
what resembling the queue of the matador. 

The history of wrestling goes back to the 
first century b. c, for it is an ancient as well 
as honourable profession. It began as a Court 
function for the entertainment of the nobility. 
Political issues of great importance are said 
to have been decided in the ring in the early 
days. The sport took on a religious aspect 
during the first half of the seventeenth century, 
when the priests began organizing matches in 
the temples to raise money for divers " pious 
purposes." In time many abuses crept in. 
There was much bitter feeling between con- 
testants from different sections of the country, 
and so much foul play that the Government 
put a stop to all public performances. Not 
until 1700 A. D. were public matches again al- 
lowed, and then only under restrictions which 
made it safer for the contestants. From that 
day to this, wrestling (sumo) has been very 
popular with all classes. 

In Osaka we saw some fine matches where 




A WRESTLER. 



Amusements 265 



the wrestlers of the East met those of the West. 
People gather from all over the country to wit- 
ness these contests, which generally take place 
in the middle of the summer. 

There are wonderful matches in Tokyo also, 
which continue during the month of February. 
Formerly they took place under a large circus- 
tent, but now they are held in a huge arena, 
shaped something like a bull-ring, only not open 
to the sky. The ring in the centre is very small 
and raised on a platform beneath a canopy. 
A light is thrown on the contestants as they 
come swaggering and waddling down the aisles 
to meet in the centre, mount the stage, and take 
grotesque postures that show to advantage the 
muscles of their legs and arms. When they 
first come in they wear their gold-embroidered 
aprons, which are very costly. Of course these 
are taken off when they fight. The referees 
sit at the corner under a canopy, while two 
wrestlers try to throw each other out of the 
ring. 

Each bout is preceded by elaborate formali- 
ties. The wrestlers pray to their gods, and 
show themselves ofP to the spectators. Then 
they squat, rub their hands, turning them palm 
outward toward the people, take a cup of water, 
and scatter salt as a sign of purification. This 



266 The Spell of Japan 

done, they take positions on all fours, facing 
each other, till, at a psychological moment, they 
attack. If one starts his attack before the 
other, however, it doesn't count, and they swag- 
ger back to the sides and rinse their mouths 
and scatter more pinches of salt. Between the 
bouts much betting goes on. 

Viewed in the dim light, through the smoke 
of the many little pipes in the audience, the 
scene was stranger than anything else I have 
ever witnessed. The wrestlers use such skill, 
and the excitement is so great when one of 
them has won, that the cheering is as good as 
at a football game at home. We saw one bout 
where fifteen thousand on-lookers became fren- 
zied with excitement, because a ' ' number one ' ' 
champion was thrown out of the ring. On cer- 
tain days the wrestlers appear all dressed up 
in their ceremonial clothes and give a dance. 

Ordinary wrestling, or sumo, must not be 
confused with the more scientific form known 
as judo, or more commonly, jiu-jutsu, which has 
been introduced to some extent in our own 
country. Here weight and strength count for 
little in comparison with skill and adroitness. 
While ordinary wrestlers are perfect moun- 
tains of men, some of the cleverest exponents 
of jiu-jutsu are quite small. Mr. Harrison, in 



Amusements 267 



his ^^ Fighting Spirit of Japan,'' tells an amu- 
sing tale of a contest between exponents of the 
two systems, to decide which was the better. 
*^ At the very commencement of the struggle 
the big man picked the judo-Jca up and, holding 
him high above his head, asked triumphantly, 
* Now, where are you? ' Apparently not a 
whit perturbed by this turn of events, the 
judo-ka answered, * Oh, this is just where judo 
comes in! The moment you attempt to throw 
me down, I'll kick you to death! ' Terrified 
out of his wits by this awful threat, the fat man, 
still holding the judo-ka above his head, rushed 
out into the street, shouting loudly for help. ' ' 

Jiu-jutsu is not practised publicly as is sumo, 
for it belongs to the upper classes. The matches 
are not advertised or reported in the papers. 
Its history goes back to mythological times, 
and it ranks with fencing as an art. Hun- 
dreds of young men get up at three o'clock on 
winter mornings and practise until seven in 
order that they may become proficient in this 
difficult exercise. 

The foreigner in Tokyo usually feels that he 
has not '' done " the city unless he has seen 
the sights of the gay quarter — the Yoshiwara 
— which is very gay indeed and as naughty 
as it is gay. There is nothing exactly like it 



268 The Spell of Japan 

outside Japan. It is impossible to see the place 
in a jinrikislia, so one must thread the crowded 
streets as best he can on foot. Girls in superb 
kimonos sit behind barred windows like dolls 
displayed for sale in a shop. The condition 
of these girls is much better than formerly. 
The Salvation Army has done a wonderful 
work for them, and not long ago the Govern- 
ment allowed all who wished to leave the 
houses. 

When other entertainment fails, there is 
always a matsuri. This is a great holiday in- 
stitution among the lower and middle classes — 
a fair held in the streets or in the open spaces 
about a temple — for, like the drama, the mat- 
suri traces its origin to a religious rite. The 
most popular of these fairs is held near the 
great Buddhist temple known as Asakusa 
Kwannon. The long street leading to this 
temple is very gay with the shops on either 
side filled with wonderful toys. In various 
booths in and about the temple there are many 
entertainments in full swing — tea-houses and 
theatres and '* movies," fortune-tellers and 
jugglers — all jumbled up together. It is a 
strange mixture of things sacred and secular. 
Murray says that even many years ago this 
temple was so popular that they had notices 



Amusements 269 



prohibiting smoking, and warning people not 
to take their afternoon naps there. 

Every matsuri has its fortune-teller. I found 
one sitting in a little booth — an aged, bald- 
headed old man with horn spectacles which did 
not in the least conceal his piercing eyes. He 
asked my age, and muttering continually, lifted 
the divining-rod to his forehead. After looking 
at me through a magnifying-glass he proceeded 
to separate the packets of rods and finally, by 
means of an interpreter, he said : 

' ' You will be married in two years, and have 
three children by the time you are thirty! *' 

I bowed gravely and thanked him, telling 
him that he was a wonderful soothsayer — a 
verdict with which he seemed to agree per- 
fectly. It may be mentioned, however, that I 
am over thirty, and have been married many 
years, with no children. 

Great reliance is placed on fortune-telling 
by the Japanese of the lower classes. I have 
seen a mother with a sick child shake the curi- 
ously lacquered box of sticks which the priest of 
a temple has in his charge, hoping to get help. 
She exchanged the numbered stick that fell 
out for a slip of paper which had a prescrip- 
tion printed on it, and then went out to buy 
the medicine with a sublime faith that it 



270 The Spell of Japan 

was just what her baby needed for its recov- 
ery. 

Fortune-telling is not confined to matsuris or 
to temples. One hears the calls of the prog- 
no sticator in the streets at night. There is 
also a very elaborate system of foretelling the 
future, based on the colouring and formation 
of the head and features, which a few men of 
a higher class practise with quite wonderful 
results. 

To these amusements, which any one may 
enjoy, I add two other forms of a more serious 
nature which are of great interest, although 
the foreigner rarely has time or opportunity 
to see them during a hurried visit. They are 
the No dance and the cha-no-yu, or tea-cere- 
mony. 

The Japanese nobility rarely attend the pub- 
lic theatres, but they do attend — and even take 
part in — the No dances, which are not really 
dances, but high-class theatrical performances. 
Why a play should be called a dance is hard 
to explain, unless one remembers that this is 
Japan, where they begin a book at the wrong 
end, wipe with wet towels, saw and plane 
toward themselves, shoe their horses with 
straw, and even have their compass-needles 
pointing to the south ! The Japanese world is 



Amusements 271 



*' topside down ^' to us, but I suppose ours is 
just as much so to them. 

We were fortunate enough to see an excellent 
No dance which was being performed in a pri- 
vate house. The performance was given in 
honour of an ancestor of theirs, who had died 
two hundred years before. It was a very aris- 
tocratic audience — the upper class people are 
easily distinguished, as they are more intelli- 
gent and stronger looking, as well as more re- 
fined, than the middle and lower classes. The 
play was given in a very dignified and cere- 
monious manner, and the acting was of the 
highest order, but to one unacquainted with the 
language and the meaning of the various pos- 
tures even the best No dance is apt to prove 
tedious. The No is further described in the 
chapter on literature. 

An even more serious form of entertainment, 
and one well worth the attention of those who 
have longer to stay in the country and who 
wish to make a study of the customs, is the 
cJia-no-yu, a ceremony which has almost the 
force of a religious rite. 

Viscounts Kadenokuji and Kiogoku took us 
to one of these tea-ceremonies at a private club 
house — Hosigaoko — in Sanno. This was the 
most wonderful piece of house-building I have 



272 The Spell of Japan 

ever seen — the polish on the floor, the fitting 
of the frames, the joining, were simply perfect. 
Some of the porch boards were forty-five feet 
long and as smooth and polished as glass. 

A very small room of four and a half mats 
(nine feet square) is held sacred for the cere- 
mony. The entrance is made through a door 
which is only a couple of feet square — a cus- 
tom remaining from the time when visitors 
were so received lest they hold swords hidden 
in their robes. The guests, who should be five 
in number, sit down in a row, the Japanese 
sitting on their feet in ceremonial manner; 
foreigners, however, are allowed to cross their 
legs, tailor-fashion, for one is expected to re- 
main without moving during the whole affair. 

This cJia-no-yu is a relic of the old days when 
ceremonies were invented to pass away the 
time, and is the most formal mode of entertain- 
ment. It is taught as a fine art and accomplish- 
ment by various schools, which differ in regard 
to small details of etiquette. The master who 
performed it for us, Nakamura, is the most 
famous teacher in Tokyo. 

The rite consists in making a bowl of tea. 
Even the tiniest motion has its own particular 
meaning, and is performed most solemnly and 
religiously. As in all Japanese ceremonials. 



Amusements 273 



it is done very slowly, requiring three hours 
for its completion. Certain implements are 
used for the cha-no-yu alone, and these are of 
the finest make. It is part of the performance 
to pass them around for the guests to examine, 
and it is etiquette to admire them. The tea- 
making is followed by a formal dinner, in which 
the guests get a chance to air their knowledge 
of strict social laws, even as to what to eat, 
and how much. The exit is made, after it is 
all over, by crawling out through the hole of 
a door. 




CHAPTER XII 

BEAE - HUNTING AMONG THE AINUS 

|N the northerii island of Hokkaido (or 
Yezo) is to be found the Ainu/ and 
with him the grizzly bear which he 
hunts, kills, and yet worships. The 
winter climate of Hokkaido resembles that 
of Canada, and Bruin thrives there, growing 
to a large size — sometimes ten feet, it is 
said. 

Mr. Arnell of the Embassy went up there in 
March, reaching the hunting-grounds six days 
after leaving Tokyo. His party consisted, be- 
sides himself, of Major Wigmore, Lieutenant 
Keyser, and, Mr. J. A. Penner. They had en- 
gaged, besides a guide apiece, six Ainu men and 
three women to meet them at Kushiro and carry 
their baggage. The women were found to be 
^^ stunning walkers " and, with others of their 

^ The Ainus are quite distinct from the Japanese, both in ap- 
pearance and language, and are gradually being supplanted by 
them. 

274 



Bear-hunting among the Ainus 275 

sex, to be not *' bad-looking except when tat- 
tooed with a green moustache." I will give 
the story of the hunt in Mr. ArnelPs own 
words. 

** Choosing between drenching and freez- 
ing," he says, referring to the heavy rains in 
Tokyo, '' I prefer the snow-clad peaks of Hok- 
kaido. 

^' We reached Kushiro, the terminus of the 
railroad, three days after our departure from 
Tokyo. We were met by our faithful Ainu, 
who had consumed gallons of distilled spirits 
while waiting for us, and made us lose a day 
waiting for him to recover. We finally suc- 
ceeded in marshalling three sleighs, each about 
the size of a Japanese mat, and seating our- 
selves in a squatting posture, started up the 
frozen river. 

'* The snow was about a foot deep at Ku- 
shiro, but increased in depth as we approached 
the mountains, where it varied from three to 
five feet. It took us three days to reach the 
hunting-grounds. After we left the river the 
road was very uncomfortable. As long as we 
kept to the centre, progress was good, but when- 
ever the sleigh happened to go one foot too far 
either side, over we went, — driver, horse, pas- 
sengers, baggage! Spills of this kind were 



276 The Spell of Japan 

frequent, and relieved the monotony of tke 
journey. We spent two nigMs at inns in lum- 
ber-towns on the way. 

* * We had telegraphed ahead to the last town, 
Teshikaga, and a courier was despatched to 
collect the Ainu beaters, who were waiting our 
arrival. There we held a council of war with 
the warden of the Imperial forests — the 
dwelling-place of His Majesty's ursine sub- 
jects. 

*^ We also tried out our showshoes, oval 
frames of mulberry wood, without which loco- 
motion was impossible. There was not time 
to make perfect fits, so we had to make the best 
of ready-made ones, all of which were baffled 
by the Major's avoirdupois. 

*^ An interesting bird had been shot at this 
camp the day before our arrival; it has no 
name, but is known as * the bird which appears 
only every six years,' and is distinguished by 
having its legs above its tail-feathers, so that 
when it waddles on dry land, if it ever does 
waddle, its tail forms the head of the proces- 
sion. It is probably related to the penguin, but 
is different from it in that its beak is long and 
straight like a crane's. Strange to say, on our 
return to Kushiro by river a week later Mr. 
Fenner shot another of the same species, and 



Bear-hunting among the Ainus 277 

with the waters of the Kushiro we christened 
the fowl Avis rara Fenneri! 

*' On the day after our arrival we continued 
our journey by sleigh to the shores of Lake 
Kutchare, which is in the heart of an uninhab- 
ited forest and has a circumference of over 
twenty-five miles. Here we separated into two 
parties — the Major and Fenner, Keyser and 
myself. Across the frozen surface of the lake 
rose the ghost-like summit of Mount Shari. 

*** Bears, bears I ' whispered the Ainus, 
pointing to the peak with their hairy fingers. 

** After dining on salt salmon, corned beef 
and hard-tack, we put on our snowshoes and 
set out across the lake, accompanied by the 
aborigines carrying our baggage. Keyser and 
I, the ^ lean detachment,' struck for the higher 
spurs of the mountain, while the Major and 
Fenner, the * fat brigade,' fixed their gaze on 
the lower slopes. 

** Keyser and I — hereafter designated sim- 
ply as ^ we ' — reached the foot of the mountain 
as night set in, and, to our keen disappointment, 
found a dilapidated hut made of pine boughs; 
we had yearned to spread our skin-lined sleep- 
ing-bags under the starry heavens. (As it 
turned out, however, the roof of the hut was 
sufficiently starry, for the night was spent in 



278 The Spell of Japan 

receiving falling lumps of melting snow.) 
Witli the remnants of the walls we built two 
fires, one for the wild men, and the other for 
ourselves; while I boiled the coffee and the 
mush, Keyser fried the bacon and the spuds. 
For dessert we had raisins and chocolate. 

6 c r£]^Q j.gg^ ^f j^Yie evening we spent in council 
of war with our braves. With our clothes on, 
our guns by our sides, and our Colt six-shoot- 
ers in our bags, we resigned ourselves to 
dreams of the morrow's chase, while the Ainus 
spread themselves around us like the crust on 
a pumpkin pie. The fires soon died out, and 
we were awakened about four in the morning 
by the murmurs of frozen feet, and passed the 
remaining wee small hours struggling between 
romantic sentiments and cold — very cold — 
facts. At half -past ^ve the hairy men relighted 
the fires, and at six I jumped from my bag like 
a dum-dum from an automatic ; I set the mush 
and coffee to boiling, and was soon followed by 
Keyser with the spuds and bacon. 

* * We decided not to wash for three days, for 
a bath is inconvenient with all your clothes on, 
and the Ainus considered it bad luck anyway. 
At seven we put on our snowshoes, and armed 
with a can of pork and beans, a biscuit, a flask 
of brandy, a kodak, a Winchester high power 



Bear-hunting among the Ainus 279 

self-loading rifle, and a Colt six-shooter, we set 
out witli one guide and one packman each. 

*^ Our course first lay along the shore of the 
lake for about a mile, after which we entered 
the snow-laden pine forest, where each step 
through four feet of snow felt like a ton. After 
emerging from the majestic pines, we started 
the climb, now erect and now recumbent, until 
at last from the middle of the mountainside 
the country lay like a conquered army at our 
feet. 

^' * Where are the bears! ' we asked. The 
Ainus pointed to the misty summit above us. 
* AVliew! ' we said, and went on. 

*' The bears live in holes which are practi- 
cally invisible, among the spurs of the moun- 
tain, and it is no easy matter to approach their 
lair. The attack is usually made under condi- 
tions that might easily give Bruin the first 
fall. 

^^ At one o'clock we sat down on the spur 
beneath the peak and taking out our lunch we 
fletcherized the brandy, and fed the beans to 
the Ainus and the dogs. With our stomachs 
full, we clicked a charge into the chamber, with 
four reserves in the magazines, and scanned 
the horizon. * A bear hole ! ' whined the Ainus 
— but alas, of last year! 



280 The Spell of Japan 

^' We reached the summit; the day's work 
was done, but the bears were none the worse 
for it, so far. Separating, we commenced the 
descent, Keyser down one valley, I down an- 
other, reaching camp about six o'clock. I for- 
got to say that one of the Ainus shot a hare, 
which provided an entree for our menu that 
evening. The other courses were identical with 
those of the previous dinner, which happily 
relieved us from the necessity of mimeograph- 
ing fresh bills of fare. 

** At nine o'clock we were tired, but not dis- 
couraged, for our expectations had been fully 
realized. We aligned ourselves for the night, 
regardless of race or previous condition of 
servitude, and were soon oblivious of the crack- 
ling of the snow, for the thermometer continued 
to drop until the Hour of the Rat. The men 
of the wild snored, but it sounded like the mur- 
muring of the pines, and only added to the 
romance. 

^' Next morning we were up again at six, 
and, after eating, set out with our previous 
equipment, except that we left our revolvers 
behind; we had discovered that they impeded 
the hip movement, and in the event of a race 
would leave us far behind the bear. Fearing 
that the animals would be intimidated by the 



Bear-hunting among the Ainus 281 

size of our army, we decided to separate into 
two detachments, Keyser with his guide and 
packman and I with mine. He climbed one 
valley, and I another, with three valleys be- 
tween us. 

** My ascent was even more difficult than that 
of the previous day, but I went with a knowl- 
edge of what was before me. I ate two quarts 
of snow at each halt, and the anticipation of 
the next meal cheered me on. We reached a 
broad open slope just below the summit at one 
'clock. The wind cut like a newly honed razor, 
but my alcoholic luncheon afforded me all the 
comfort of a winter hearth. 

** The dog did not stop as usual to eat my 
pork and beans, but trotted up the glassy in- 
cline for a little exercise. In about five minutes 
he returned like an arrow from a bow, his tail 
seeking refuge between his legs, his voice 
pitched in a minor key. 

** * Shut up, you fool! ' growled the Ainu, 
thinking the pup had been frightened by a 
shadow. 

^' But the yearling only struck another key 
and continued his descent, evidently expecting 
us to follow. We decided to see whether there 
was any cause for his alarm, and followed his 
tracks to the side of a tree. The dog watched 



282 The Spell of Japan 

us from a safe distance, growling his disap- 
proval. Lo and behold ! — there was a circular 
hole in the snow, some six inches in diameter. 
The edge of the hole was brownish, and no more 
evidence was needed that the inmate was there 
and had already risen on his hind quarters to 
receive us. 

** It had started to snow in thick flakes. 
There were no rocks on which to seek refuge, 
and the soft snow fastened us at each step. I 
stamped a foothold at a distance of seven feet 
from the hole — the nearer the safer, the Ainus 
said, for we could not afford to let the bear 
evade us. I was directed to stand sentinel, with 
the stock of the thunder-stick against my shoul- 
der, while the savages, singing in their native 
dialect, ran down the slope to fetch a tree. 

** They were soon back with a trunk about 
eight feet long, and took up their position above 
the hole. The old Ainu unfastened his girdle 
and tied it to one end of the pole, which he 
placed in the snow over the aperture. The 
guides had only one gun between them, and that 
a single-loader, so the young Ainu decided to 
go in search of a club in case my shot should 
fail to tell and we should be drawn into a fisti- 
cuff with the enemy. 

** No sooner had the hairy youth gone than 



Bear-hunting among the Ainus 283 

his square-jawed uncle pulled the girdle, dri- 
ving the tree into the den just before Bruin's 
nose. Claps of ursine thunder followed. The 
beast rose to his feet with a heavy thud. Next 
moment the snow scattered as if raised by a 
snow-plow, and a broad head with flashing eyes 
and bared teeth emerged, and gave me a glance 
that ran down my back-bone. He had not got 
out beyond the shoulders, however, before I 
buried a .401 calibre soft-nose bullet in his left 
ear, and close on the tracks of that came a 
round lead ball from the savage's blunder- 
buss. 

** My Winchester makes a deep impression 
on animal tissue at a distance of one hundred 
yards, deep enough to make a bear forget that 
he is alive, so the impact at a range of seven 
feet was tremendous. When the bullet struck 
the head it swung to the opposite side, as if 
hit by a fifty-pound sledge-hammer. There 
was a pause of fifteen seconds, and the huge 
form made another plunge, which was evi- 
dently the death struggle, but giving the advan- 
tage to the doubt I pulled the trigger again; 
there was no response, and I found that a bam- 
boo leaf had choked the bolt. In about five 
seconds, however, I was able to restore the gun 
to working order by ejecting the cartridge in 



284 The Spell of Japan 

the chamber, and then popped two more peas 
into the waning intellect of the brute. The 
Ainu's lead must have gained admission, as he 
stood a foot nearer than I did, but we failed 
to locate it at the autopsy. My bullet — a pan- 
cake of lead with splinters of nickel-steel — 
was lodged in the right jaw, having passed 
through the brain from the left ear. 

^* The next step was to skin and quarter the 
bear, but before doing so my Ainus insisted 
on paying their last respects to the spirit of 
the departed — a spirit which was to hover 
over them for all time to come, for the moment 
my bullet entered the ear of the bear he had 
taken his place in the pantheon of Ainu gods. 
The savages spread his feet and placed his head 
in position, then they arranged several branches 
in a row before him, and kneeling on the snow, 
with bowed heads, they rubbed their hands and 
muttered fervent prayers. 

'' They prayed, ' bear, we thank thee for 
having died ! We humbly beseech thee to per- 
mit us to kill another bear as we have killed 
thee. We pray that this happy event may not 
be far off, and that when we meet thy brother 
or sister, thy aunt or uncle, or other kin, what- 
ever his or her kinship may be, thy kin may 
not bite or strike us, and above all, dear bear, 



Bear-hunting among the Ainus 285 

that he or she may not evade our poisoned 
arrow or our leaden bullet. bear, we be- 
seech thee to be always near, and to oversee 
our welfare in this land, where since the advent 
of the Japanese the number of bears is rapidly 
decreasing, so that we poor Ainus are day by 
day being deprived of the pleasure of our 
forefathers. bear, again we thank thee for 
having died! ' 

'^ After the prayer meeting had closed the 
young Ainu crawled into the wintry home of 
the deceased. But the cub which we expected 
to take back to Tolcyo was not to be found. 
However, on skinning the bear we did find two 
lead bullets which told the story — the cub had 
been killed the previous year, but the mother 
had escaped. It seems cruel to have taken her 
life, but when one knows that she had killed at 
least ten horses during her career, and would 
have continued to slaughter two per annum for 
the rest of her days had she been allowed to 
live, she forfeits the sympathy of the wise. 
The forests of Hokkaido are strewed with the 
bleached bones of horses taken from the pas- 
tures by marauding bears. Wherever we made 
our headquarters we were visited by owners of 
pastures, who were often accompanied by the 
Chief of Police or the provincial Governor, 



286 The Spell of Japan 

earnestly requesting us to come to their assist- 
ance. 

^ ' Having justified my act, I shall resume the 
story. The first part which the Ainus dissected 
was the stomach, which is dried and powdered 
and serves as a panacea for all ills; this was 
the occasion for a short prayer and was sanc- 
tified by repeated touching of the bear's nose. 
After the skin had been removed, the meat was 
cut into six portions and was buried in the snow 
until next morning. The skin itself was rolled 
into a scroll weighing about sixty pounds, and 
was placed on the back of the young Ainu. The 
head of the bear faced outward, and the pack- 
man looked like one of the itinerant showmen 
who used to ply their trade along the Tokaido 
in the days of the Shogun, with the mask of a 
long-nosed hobgoblin fastened to his back. 

* * We descended the mountain as if shod with 
skees and were soon crossing the lake on our 
way to camp. When the menoho — female 
children, a generic term for Ainu women — 
spied us at a distance of half a mile they burst 
into a weird chant, clapping their hands and 
jumping up and down, keeping it up until we 
reached the place where they stood. 

^^ Keyser had already returned with an 
empty bag. The Major and Mr. Fenner joined 



Bear-hunting among the Ainus 287 

us that evening, having deserted their camp 
after vain efforts to traverse the soft snow 
which covered the lower hunting-grounds, on 
which they had worked ; later their menoko fol- 
lowed with their baggage. The evening around 
the campfire was very merry as we ate our bear 
meat and watched the Ainus perform their 
devotions. 

a The ground had been cleared to make a 
space for the altar. On this the bearskin was 
placed with the head pointing outward. Each 
Ainu knelt before the head, and as he rubbed 
his hands — now and again raising them to his 
forehead, after lightly touching the nose of the 
bear — he murmured a prayer similar to the 
one made on the mountain. One grey-bearded 
patriarch continued his fervent invocation more 
than five minutes, then, having finished, he 
knelt in front of me, and after a solemn salaam 
exclaimed, * Hurrah, hurrah! ^ With this the 
introductory service came to an end. 

** Meanwhile the barbarians had been boiling 
their bear meat and, the services over, they 
started to make way with it, their eating con- 
tinually interspersed with rubbing of hands 
and mumbling of prayers. 

** Next day Keyser and Fenner went out 
again in search of bear, but I decided to rest 



288 The Spell of Japan 

on my oars for one day, and so did the Major, 
who had become completely disgusted with the 
snow. We spent the day in talking and eating, 
— three meals on bacon and two on bear. All 
the comfort and luxury of a cozy home seemed 
to be concentrated between our mud floor and 
snow roof. At noon four carriers, who had 
gone up the mountain early in the morning, 
returned with their loads of meat. 

** In the evening, after every one had as- 
sembled in camp and Keyser and Fenner had 
reported that no tracks of bear had been seen, 
preparations for the grand mass were begun. 
The Ainu to whom the hunting-grounds of the 
mountain belonged removed the hide and meat 
from the skull. Ordinarily he would have left 
the nose, but as I wished it for purposes of 
mounting he reluctantly consented to cut it off. 
The skull cleaned, it was placed on the altar. 

** The ceremony then opened and continued 
for over an hour, every Ainu present taking 
part. While the mumbling of prayers, rubbing 
and raising of hands, and occasional touching 
of the missing nose, were going on, the carti- 
laginous soles of the bear's feet had been boil- 
ing, to the accompaniment of intermittent 
chanting by the women, and after being cut into 
two-inch pieces were arranged on sticks in 



Bear-hunting among the Ainus 289 

front of the skull. After another invocation 
the elastic tid-bits were removed and eaten 
with much loud smacking. The meat was put 
through a similar ordeal, and the services were 
followed by a grand feast, which lasted till 
after midnight and was characterized by a 
great deal of mirth, despite the absence of dis- 
tilled spirits, which the Chief of Police had 
prohibited. To us its absence was a blessing, 
but to the simple barbarians a curse, for they 
imbibe spirits as we drink water — in fact, it 
is the principal cause of the gradual extermina- 
tion of the race. 

** We went to bed before the dark-skinned 
Mohawks, but got up with them at sunrise. 
During the night sleet had begun to fall, and 
as we could not tell how long it might continue, 
we decided to break camp and re-cross the lake, 
as soon as we had seen the funeral services. 

** The place chosen for the last rites was the 
top of a snow-covered knoll beside the camp, 
where a palisade was built of bamboos and fir 
branches, decorated with the ceremonial sticks 
with the skull of the bear in the centre. The 
men — for apparently the Ainu women do not 
take part in funerals — then proceeded to the 
place in a line, and arranging themselves before 
the palisade, invoked the spirit of the king of 



290 The Spell of Japan 

the forests in loud prayers, to the accompani- 
ment of the usual rubbing and raising of hands. 
We were clicking our cameras meantime, which 
added a musical touch to the solemnity of the 
occasion, but the snow showed no traces of our 
tears. 

" Ordinarily the skull is left on the palisade 
for years and years, but I needed it to mount 
the head of my trophy, so I negotiated with my 
guide for its surrender. He readily consented, 
but when the women learned my intention they 
made a terrible fuss, and with tears in their 
eyes begged me to leave their god undisturbed. 
I was finally allowed to take the skull, if I 
promised to see that it was not abused on the 
way to Tokyo, and if, after my return, I would 
have it placed on the altar of my parlour, pay- 
ing it due reverence for all time to come. The 
parting between the women and the skull was 
quite pathetic, and would have moved a soft- 
hearted man to mingled emotions. I have ful- 
filled my promise, and the mounted skull now 
adorns the dais of my drawing-room, with its 
nose pointed toward all believers in the omnipo- 
tence of the bear. 

** The services over, we shouldered our 
lighter baggage and started on our snowshoes 
across the lake, followed by the packmen. The 



Bear-hunting among the Ainus 291 

ice had begun to melt in places, as the lake is 
full of hot-water springs, so we had to select 
our route with care. The women and the bear- 
skin were left behind, as there was some sort 
of a memorial service still to be held, for which 
our packmen returned that evening. It was 
to have been a primitive bacchanalia, but as 
the Chief of Police had ordered the only two 
human habitations within miles not to sell any 
sake or shoohu to the worshippers, they must 
have passed a merry night on icewater. 

** After crossing the lake we walked about 
five miles farther to a hot sulphur spring, 
where we were given a fairly comfortable room 
by the Japanese landlord. The hot springs 
were excellent, and we took three baths each, 
one for every day we had hunted. We woke 
bright and early to find the sleighs waiting to 
take us back to civilization, and contrary to our 
expectations, the Ainus appeared at the ap- 
pointed hour with the skin. Paying them off, 
we bade them farewell until the scarcity of bear 
meat in Tokyo should necessitate our return. 
As parting gifts we distributed among them 
most of our remaining cans of corned beef, 
Boston baked beans, sweet corn and strawberry 
jam. From the manner in which the bear meat 
was treated by the recipients in the Capital, I 



292 The Spell of Japan 

fear we shall have to find some other pretext 
than its scarcity for revisiting the sylvan wilds 
of The Highway of the Northern Seas — Hok- 
kaido. They said it tasted granular, and fed it 
to the dogs, cats and chickens 1 ' ' 




CHAPTER XIII 

MOTORING AND CRUISING 

AETIES of tourists usually land at 
Yokohama, rejoining their steamer a 
few days later at Kobe. After a little 
sight-seeing in Yokohama they gen- 
erally take a train to Kamakura and stop at the 
island of Enoshima. If there is time, they con- 
tinue on to Miyanoshita. They take in Tokyo, 
Nikko, and Kyoto, with perhaps a few hours in 
each, and then go on to Kobe. In the limited 
time this all has to be done by train, which, in 
the present condition of the roads, is a quicker 
and surer method of travel than any other. 
Kurumas (jinrikishas) can be used for side 
trips, or hagos (sedan-chairs) for mountain 
climbs. Trolley cars are a convenience in the 
cities, and often take one to quite remote 
places in the country as well. The rates are 
lower than in the West, and special cars can 
be hired for a moderate amount. 

For those who have longer to stay, the motor 

293 



294 The Spell of Japan 

offers a delightful way of seeing the country 
as well as many opportunities for getting off 
the beaten track and having adventures. Be- 
cause the roads are narrow and the bridges 
frail, the motorcycle, rather than the automo- 
bile, is after all the ideal method of travel, for 
it takes one into really out-of-the-way places 
which could not be reached in a larger machine. 
Of course this pastime is only for men, and for 
men who are willing to rough it, at that. If 
a woman is at all inclined to be nervous she 
had better not try motoring in Japan, even in 
a car, except on well-known roads. 

The traveller with sufficient time at his dis- 
posal also finds various trips to be made by 
steamer, such as the one through the Inland 
Sea, which is described in this chapter. 

Motoring is just beginning to be popular in 
Japan. Many of the roads are not bad except 
in spots, and the scenery is usually beautiful. 
During the rainy season the country roads are 
very disagreeable, — often almost, if not quite, 
impassable. Only in a city like Tokyo or Yoko- 
hama is it worth while for the resident to have 
a car the year round. 

The best touring months are in the spring 
and autumn — in March, when the plum blos- 
soms are finishing and the cherry blossoms be- 



Motoring and Cruising 295 

ginning, and in April and May. In June comes 
the rain. The heat during July and August is 
very severe, then come the typhoons, and rain 
again in September. When the maple leaves 
are turning, later in the autumn, there is an- 
other happy moment for the motorist. Al- 
though the winters are not really disagreeable, 
there is a cold wind, and the Japanese inns are 
damp and chilly. 

A short machine is necessary, as well as a 
skilful chauffeur, for the turns are often very 
sharp, especially at the bridges. These bridges, 
by the way, are treacherous and need to be 
strengthened for motor-traffic. They were 
built for the use of a 'ricksha or — at the most 
— for a horse and two-wheeled wagon. Gaso- 
line may now be procured in many places, and 
road-maps are also to be had. It is important 
to take some one along who can speak Japanese, 
and to provide food for the trip, if one does not 
like the native dishes. Hot tea may be had 
almost anywhere. 

In taking a motor trip one would naturally 
start at Yokohama. At first glance this city 
seems thoroughly Japanese, but, on knowing it 
better, I have found it to be in reality very 
European and not at all typical of the country 
or its people. It is rather a laughing-stock 



296 The Spell of Japan 

among the Japanese themselves, who call things 
** Yokohama '' as a term of derision. Most 
foreigners live on the '* Bluff," which over- 
looks the bay. Some of the houses in this sec- 
tion are fascinating, for they are surrounded 
by gardens and command wonderful views. 
Some glimpses of real Japan may be caught 
in the native quarter of the city, but coming 
back to Yokohama after having been into the 
interior gives one the impression of having 
left Japan behind. 

A trip which is easy and comfortable for 
ladies may be made from Yokohama to Miya- 
noshita. It takes several hours each way, with 
a day added if one goes on over the Hakone 
Pass. L. and I took this trip while the plum- 
trees were in bloom. 

From Yokohama to Kamakura much of the 
way was through the paddy-fields, which re- 
minded me of trips on the narrow roads be- 
tween the canals of Holland. We passed some 
strange new pagodas on a hillside, erected 
lately in honour of the Fire-God — a terrible 
creature carved on a rocky cliff and painted in 
colours. "We also passed a succession of little 
places famous for the ** plum-viewing,'' with 
their small tea-houses all ready for the view- 
ers. There were camellia-trees in bloom, too, 




THE BUDDHA OF KAMAKURA. 



Motoring and Cruising 297 

and the paddy-fields were beginning to show 
faint greens where the farmers were pottering 
about in the carefully cultivated land. 

Kamakura is sunny and warm, by the spark- 
ling sea. Many invalids go there, especially 
in winter — foreigners often rent the native 
houses. The big Buddha, surrounded by plum- 
trees, has twice been washed by tidal waves. 
The silvery branches with their white blossoms 
looked as if they had been sprinkled with snow, 
and the delicate perfume in the air was deli- 
cious. The Buddha is said to have stood there 
in the wind and rain and sunshine for seven 
hundred years. It is perhaps the finest large 
piece of bronze in the world; it has eyes of 
pure gold and a great silver boss on its fore- 
head that looks like a full moon, while on 
its head are eight hundred curls. ^' These 
are the snails that kindly coiled themselves 
on Buddha's head when by thinking too 
much in the hot sun he might have been sun- 
struck. ' ' 

We visited another shrine at Kamakura, 
where there is a huge trunk of cedar carved 
into a Kwannon — she is the goddess of pity 
and humility. It is said that once upon a time 
an illumination was seen over the waters, and 
on going to find out what caused it some fisher- 



298 The Spell of Japan 

men discovered the figure of this goddess, 
carved in wood, which they brought ashore and 
set up for all to worship. 

It is told of Kwannon that ** in her boundless 
love she divided herself into many bodies and 
renounced the joy of Nirvana that she might 
bring peace and happiness to others/' She is 
often compared to the Christian Madonna, and 
is considered the goddess of mercy, as well as 
the protector of dumb animals, especially of 
horses and others that work for man. She is 
variously depicted in Japanese art — some- 
times with a thousand hands, in each of 
which is an answer to a prayer — some- 
times with eleven faces, ** smiling with eternal 
youth and infinite tenderness. '* A remarkable 
piece of embroidery which was brought to the 
Embassy to sell at a huge price showed Kwan- 
non as the divine mother, pouring forth from 
a crystal vial holy water, each bubble of which 
contained a tiny child. 

Osame told me that Kwannon was the daugh- 
ter of a king of the Chow dynasty who sen- 
tenced her to death for refusing to marry. The 
executioner's sword broke without inflicting a 
wound, but her spirit went to hell, which, how- 
ever, she straightway turned into a paradise. 
The king of the infernal regions hurried her 



Motoring and Cruising 299 

back to earth and turned lier into a lotus flower 
on the island of Pooh-to. 

While we were standing at her shrine, which 
is on the side of a pine-clad hill looking out 
over the sea, there came a sad funeral proces- 
sion led by men carrying a big wicker bird- 
cage. When I asked about it, Osame said that 
birds were kept in it and were set free at 
funerals to typify the release of the soul. 
There was the usual gold paper, and the col- 
oured paper lotus flowers. The unpainted 
carved box, or coffin, shaped something like a 
palanquin, was borne on the shoulders of four 
men. The widow was clad in white, which is 
the mourning colour. Following the mourners 
came men, bringing trees and plants to set out 
on the grave. 

En route from Kamakura to Miyanoshita we 
motored over the old Tokaido road — the great 
highway from Tokyo to Kyoto — with its 
crooked pines on every side and its views of the 
bright blue sea and of enchanting Fuji, so often 
represented in Japanese art. 

On the way we passed the wonderful island 
of Enoshima. Here Benten, goddess of the sea, 
has her shrine, for the island is said to have 
arisen from the deep at her coming. She is one 
of the seven goddesses of luck, and is likewise 



300 The Spell of Japan 

referred to as the divinity of love, beauty and 
eloquence. It is customary for people who are 
in love, or for those who, on the contrary, wish 
to be divorced, to go to Enoshima and pray to 
Benten. She is said to have descended from 
the clouds and, entering a cavern where the 
sea Idng dwelt, to have married him out of hand. 
He was a dragon who devoured little children, 
but her good influence put an end to his sins. 
She is depicted as having eight arms, and as 
riding upon a dragon. Her shrines are gen- 
erally found on islands. 

I had always felt that Fuji was much over- 
rated, but on this day it certainly wove its 
charm about me. Mayon, in the Philippines, 
is as beautiful in shape, but it never has any 
snow on its summit. Our own snow-capped 
Mt. Eainier is truly superb, but its shape is less 
symmetrical than Fuji's. Snow-capped and 
perfect in line, Fuji seemed to rise out of the 
sea in its mist, a great, beautiful ghost-moun- 
tain. Seeing it, I felt the Spell of Japan as 
never before. 

So many things have been said about Fuji, 

and so many poems have been written, that it 

would be impossible for me to invent anything 

new in regard to it. It is called the * ' Supreme 

V Altar of the Sun " and the ** Never-dying 



Motoring and Cruising 301 

Mountain." It is supposed to hold the secret 
of perpetual life, and miracles are said to have 
been performed there. It is likened to a white 
lotus, and to a huge inverted fan. Sengen, the 
fire goddess, and Oanamochi, '' Possessor of 
the Great Hole," dwell there, while near the 
shrine of the God of Long Breath is a spring 
of healing for the sick. 

Miyanoshita is one of the most famous sum- 
mer resorts in Japan. It is two thousand feet 
above the sea, and is surrounded by mountains 
as high again. The climb up there in the motor 
went well; the air was fine and clear, and the 
hot sulphur baths at the hotel refreshed us. 
This hotel is excellent. It overlooks a beau- 
tiful valley, picturesque and green in the fore- 
ground, and shading off into that pale blue of 
distance which makes a Japanese panorama so 
complete. Around us rose high hills, ravined 
and grotesque, with here and there the roofs 
of tiny tea-houses peeping through the trees. 
As I looked from my window the tops of the 
mountain opposite were all big and grey, like 
elephants' ears. The view down the valley to 
the sea made me think of the wonderful Ben- 
quet Eoad in the Philippines. 

In a tea-house garden near the hotel were 
many-coloured carp dashing about in the clear 



302 The Spell of Japan 

sulphur water. The long-tailed cock of antiq- 
uity is now rarely to be found, but there was 
one in this same garden, and also a minor bird 
which spoke quite as clearly as our parrot at 
home. 

We went over the pass to Hakone. The road 
was difficult ; the bridges were often shaky, and 
occasional small landslides delayed our prog- 
ress. We were rewarded, however, by the 
sight of a charming lake some seven miles in 
length, with mountains stretching down into it, 
and Fuji- San beyond, hiding his lovely head in 
the clouds. The Emperor has a summer palace 
at Hakone, built in European style. 

When we came down from Miyanoshita in 
the motor, it was a beautiful morning, and a 
beautiful ride it was, too, down through the 
valleys and out on to the plain, along the To- 
kaido with its avenues of cryptomerias, and 
across the paddy-fields. 

I am told it will soon be possible to go by 
motor from Yokohama to Miyanoshita by an- 
other route — over the new military road when 
it is finished, across by Otome-Toge, and over 
the Hakone Eange into the valley this side of 
Fujiyama to Gotimba. 

Another trip from Yokohama is to Mishima. 
We did not try this ourselves, but the account 



Fuji from Otome-Toge 



Motoring and Cruising 303 

of it given by a writer in the Japan Magazine, 
from whom I quote, shows some of the difficul- 
ties to be encountered on the road: 

** It was on the stroke of ten, on the nine- 
teenth of April, when three of us, with a chauf- 
feur, pulled out of the E. M. F. garage on the 
Yokohama Bund in the new twenty-five h. p. 
Studebaker. Kozu was reached at noon, and 
twenty minutes later we turned off the beaten 
track — from a motoring point of view — at 
the terminus of the Odawara-Atami light rail- 
way. 

*^ Here the real interest of the day's run 
began. The road to Atami, though rather nar- 
row, has a good surface for the most part, and 
runs along the coast, now almost at the sea 
level, now winding over the hills, from which 
a magnificent panoramic view of the Odawara 
Bay far below is obtained. From the heights 
the coast with its white line of surf can be fol- 
lowed by the eye beyond Enoshima on the one 
side, and on the other side a succession of capes, 
merging in the haze, end in the dim vista of 
Vries Island. A halt of some thirty minutes at 
a roadside rest-house near Manazuru to have 
lunch and enjoy the beautiful scenery passed 
all too quickly. Atami was reached at 2.30 p. m. 

** So far the road presents no particular dif- 



304 The Spell of Japan 

ficulties, but good care must be taken, and a 
little backing is required to get around two or 
three sharp turns. After a short halt to inspect 
the radiator and to see whether the tires 
were well inflated, we started on the long 
climb. ' ' 

The motorist had gone over the road on foot, 
and it had seemed quite possible to negotiate 
all the curves without backing, but this did not 
prove true in actual test. The curves were for 
the most part of the real hairpin variety and 
came in such never-ending series that count of 
them was soon lost. On more than half of them 
it was necessary to back at least once, before 
getting round. 

** Nevertheless," he resumes, '' we were ma- 
king good and steady progress until within 
about a mile and a half from the top of the 
ridge, when the gasoline began to get too low 
to reach the engine against the incline and the 
cant of the car on the turns. From this spot 
on, the last mile resolved itself into a trial of 
patience and muscle in manoeuvring the car 
round each corner to a sufficiently even — or 
uneven — keel for the gasoline to run to the 
engine until the critical point of each turn was 
surmounted. The last two corners were nego- 
tiated in the dark, with the writer sitting on the 



Motoring and Cruising 305 

gasoline tank and the chauffeur blowing into 
it to force the gasoline into the carburetor. At 
eight in the evening we arrived safely at 
Mishima. 

** Taking the above experience as a basis, it 
can be safely asserted that passengers on a 
motor car would not run any risk at all on this 
road, as there are no unprotected banks over 
which they could fall, as on the Miyanoshita 
road. It also makes one of the most beautiful 
trips out of Yokohama, for as one gradually 
rises above Atami the magnificent panorama of 
land and sea displays itself before one's eyes 
in ever widening circles. In our case we 
reached the Daiba Pass too late to enjoy the 
splendid view of the hills on the one side, and 
of the ocean with a fringe of foam along the 
shore down below, though the breakers could 
be distinctly heard." 

We often motored from Yokohama to Tokyo. 
The road-bed is comparatively good, being 
hard and smooth, but it is very narrow, with 
constant traffic, and there are so many children 
running across that speed is impossible. Al- 
though the distance between the two cities is 
about twenty miles, the street is like one long 
village with its rows of houses on either side. 
It was e^ sly interesting, with its proces- 



306 The Spell of Japan 

sion of carts and wagons with their picturesque 
loads, and its groups of little, scurrying chil- 
dren in many-coloured kimonos clacking about 
on their clogs. There were continuous rows of 
small open shop-fronts with their wares set out 
in pretty array, and we had hurried glimpses of 
clean matted interiors and quaint gardens and 
temple entrances. Every now and then we 
would cross one of the queer, humped-up little 
bridges and look down upon the thatch-roofed 
cabins and high poops of the sampans con- 
gested in the river beneath. About an hour 
and a half is allowed for the run. 

Once on this road we stopped at Osame's 
home — a perfect plaything of a house about 
two inches big, with an artistic bamboo fence 
and wicket, a tiny entrance-place, and little six- 
mat rooms. The wife prostrated herself re- 
peatedly, and offered us tea and cake with 
many protestations which Osame translated. 
Their baby was brought in, and looked wisely 
at some presents which we had for him. 

There are a number of one-day excursions 
from Tokyo for cars, and still more one- and 
two-day trips for motorcycles. The roads 
about Tokyo are good, but with a car one is 
likely to strike mires or bad bridges or ferry- 
boats that are too small. These difficulties can 




LOOKED WISELY AT SOME PRESENTS WHICH WE HAD FOR 

HIM." 



Motoring and Cruising 307 

generally be overcome, however, and they make 
the trip both varied and amusing. 

A short expedition from Tokyo, and one 
comfortable for the motorist, is to the prehis- 
toric caves — Hyakn Ana — near Konosu. 
These are some two hundred cave-dwellings 
that have been uncovered on the side of a cliff. 
They have long, low entrances, and vary from 
tiny holes to caves ten feet square and high 
enough for a man to stand in. The pieces of 
jewelry and pottery which have been found 
there are small help in reconstructing the life 
of the troglodytes — *^ earth spiders," the 
Japanese call them — who may have lived there 
some thousands of years ago. 

Another trip from Tok^^o ^ is to the Boshu 
Peninsula. The tourist will have an excellent 
opportunity of getting a few glimpses of un- 
familiar Japan without going very far afield. 
The road follows the seashore most of the way 
and offers a great variety of scenery — pine- 
clad hills, rice fields, pretty gardens, and fish- 
ing villages with the ocean breaking on rocky 
cliffs. There is little chance for speeding, as 
the highway is often narrow and passes 
through many tunnels with sharp curves, but 

* For this, and several other notes on motoring, I am indebted 
to the Japan Magazine. 



308 The Spell of Japan 

the trip was made without any trouble by Mr. 
S.'s large fifty h. p. Clement-Bayard. 

Mr. S. and friends started from Tokyo after 
tiffin, and spent the night at Inage, a small vil- 
lage two miles from Chiba, where there was a 
quiet inn. Next day, they drove along the coast 
southwest to Tateyama, which is a popular 
bathing resort, reaching there in time for tiffin. 
The views along the way, both of the hills and 
of Tokyo Bay, were very fine. They went on 
to Katsu-ura for the night, passing Mera, which 
is an important fishing village at the extreme 
tip of the peninsula, built on a cliff near a 
lighthouse. It was here that the Dakota was 
wrecked in 1909. Part of the way the volcano 
on Vries Island is to be seen. 

Near Katsu-ura is the birthplace of the fa- 
mous Buddhist saint, Nichiren. He was born 
in 1222 A. D., and became a priest at the age of 
fifteen. His doctrines being considered unsafe, 
he was sentenced to death, but the executioner's 
sword was broken by lightning, and orders came 
from the Regent to release him. Various well- 
known temples have been erected in his mem- 
ory. 

Next day the return trip was made by way 
of Ichinomiya, Hamano, and Chiba. The en- 
tire excursion can be made in two days, and 



Motoring and Cruising 309 

with an extra day one could also take in Narita, 
which has a very interesting temple and is well 
worth visiting. 

Mountaineering by motor is also possible in 
some parts of Japan. A successful trip was 
made from Tokyo over the Torii Toge not long 
ago, although the road left much to be desired, 
being narrow, tortuous, and often washed away 
in places — between Azuma-Bashi and Narai it 
was especially bad. This pass gets its name 
from the massive granite torii at the top, and 
is over four thousand feet above the sea. The 
road over the Shiojiri Toge, which is thirty- 
four hundred feet high, is so well engineered 
that it was found possible to get to the top on 
middle gear. The views along the way are said 
to be of the finest, and the ^^ Kame-ya '' at 
Shimono-Suwa, a very comfortable hotel with 
natural hot baths and an obliging landlord. 

One motorist found difficulty in garaging his 
car, and it had to be left under the wide eaves 
of the roof of the hotel. The ingenious land- 
lord, however, borrowed a huge sheet of thick 
oil-paper and covered it all up snugly and se- 
curely from the weather, as well as from the 
attentions of a crowd of boys who had gath- 
ered round. 

* ^ I found the boys troublesome everywhere, ' ' 



310 The Spell of Japan 

this traveller writes ; ^ ^ they were not content 
to look, but must finger everything. On one 
occasion they turned an oil- tap and lost me half 
a gallon of precious oil which could not be re- 
placed. . . . After this I tied up the oil-tap 
every night and took the wires off the accumu- 
lators, for on another occasion I found that a 
boy had switched these on." Such hints may 
prove useful to the prospective motorist. 

The road from Tokyo to Nikko is good, ex- 
cept at one point, where it crosses a river. 
Next to Miyanoshita, this is the most popular 
excursion, for the temples are glorious and 
the hotel is good. "We did not hear whether 
the road from Nikko to Chuzenji was pass- 
able. 

The Japanese have a saying that you must 
call nothing beautiful until you have seen 
Nikko. L. says nothing is beautiful after 
you have seen Nikko. It is supreme, the 
climax. In 1889 he journeyed three hours to 
Utsunomiya, and then five hours by Jcuruma to 
Nikko, through the wonderful avenue of cryp- 
tomerias, with the foliage meeting overhead. 
This avenue is said to extend for fifty miles. 
When the temples at Nikko were being raised, 
some three hundred years ago, many nobles 
presented portions of them; but some, poorer 



Motoring and Cruising 311 

than the rest, for their share planted these trees 
as an approach to the temples. 

L. was not disappointed in going there 
on a later visit, for the great trees still 
stood solemnly above the gorgeous temples, and 
peace and religious quiet were to be found 
there as always. On the other side of the rush- 
ing river, however, there was a change, for 
hotels and European comforts had been pro- 
vided. 

I am not sure whether one can motor from 
Tokyo to Fukushima or not, but, in any event, 
it would be worth trying. We went there on a 
former visit, staying at a Japanese inn, sleep- 
ing on mats in comforters. Next day we went 
on, part of the way by train, part by jinrikisha, 
to the ** eight hundred and eight islands," the 
most fascinating place in the world. We took 
a boat and went in and out among the islands 
until we came to Matsushima, a little fishing 
town which is considered the first of the San- 
kei — ^' the three finest views in Japan " — on 
account of its exceptionally beautiful sea view. 
The islands are covered with queer, stunted 
pines, among which quaint temples are to be 
seen. Even now in the stillness of the night 
I can hear their bells, like a mysterious, musical 
moan. 



312 The Spell of Japan 

The following condensed account of a trip by 
motorcycle from Tokyo to Kyoto and beyond 
may be of use to the traveller. The distance is 
about three hundred and forty miles. Three and 
a half gallons of petrol were consumed, which is 
more than would have been used if the second 
and third days' ride had not been in the teeth 
of a gale. The machine was a 2 3-4 h. p. twin- 
cylinder Douglas with free engine clutch and 
two-speed gear. A lightweight of this sort has 
proved most suitable for Japan, for there are 
dozens of occasions — lifting in and out of 
boats, up steps, pushing over stony river-beds 
— when one is glad of its lightness. One never 
wishes for more speed. Allowing time for rest, 
food, and casual stops, not over a hundred 
miles can be made in a day with any pleas- 
ure. 

On this expedition the cyclist went by way 
of Kozu and stayed over a day at Shizuoka. It 
is fifty-five miles from there to Fukuroi, where 
he lunched, and then continued on to Maisaka 
for the night. 

<« From Maisaka," he says, *^ one can cross 
over the Hamano Lagoon to Aral by ferry, one 
can take the train over the bridge, or make the 
circuit of the lagoon. As there was a strong 
gale blowing the ferry did not put out, so this 



Motoring and Cruising 313 

niglit was spent at Benten-jima, a pleasant 
little bathing resort at the mouth of the la- 
goon. ' ' 

Next morning, he left Arai at nine o'clock. 
About two miles out there was a very stiff hill, 
which is frequently mentioned in pictures of 
Tokaido travel. The ascent commenced imme- 
diately after a sharp turn out of a village 
street, so that it was impossible to get a good 
start. The view over the sea from the top was 
splendid, however, and the run down to Toyo- 
hashi among slopes blazing with azaleas proved 
delightful. 

At Atsuta, fifty-five miles from Toyohashi, 
the cyclist left the Tokaido and passed through 
one of the suburbs of Nagoya. This is the third 
city of Japan, Tokyo being the first and Osaka 
the second in size. It is famous for its potter- 
ies and especially for its castle, which has a 
keep typical of the ancient feudal times and 
often shown in Japanese art. The castle is in 
fairly good preservation and is one of the best 
specimens of architecture in the country. The 
central building is a massive structure one 
hundred and fifty feet high, surmounted by two 
golden dolphins, which may be seen from a tre- 
mendous distance glistening in the sun. One 
of them was exhibited at Vienna in 1873; on 



314 * The Spell of Japan 

its way home it was lost with the ship, but 
was finally recovered at great expense. 

After Nagoya, Kano was reached. Here one 
turns to the left, without entering Gifu, and 
proceeds along the Nakasendo — the great 
highway that connects Tokyo and Kyoto by 
way of the mountains while the Tokaido runs 
nearer the coast. Maibara, on the shores of 
Lake Biwa, was reached that evening at eight 
o'clock; from there it was a straight run to 
Kyoto. 

Lake Biwa, the largest piece of fresh water 
in Japan, is about forty-five miles long. It 
is surrounded on all sides by hills and is 
supposed to have been produced by an earth- 
quake early in the third century before 
Christ. 

It is also possible to go from Tokyo to Kyoto 
by way of Atami, but it is not a very good trip. 
Those who try it generally get on the train at 
Kozu and get off again at Gotimba — a method 
much easier for a motorcycle than for a car, of 
course. 

There are a thousand things to do and see in 
Kyoto, but if one is there in cherry blossom 
season one must not fail to see the glorious 
old cherry tree so widely renowned. Near it is 
the Mound of Ears. Osame told me that long 



Motoring and Cruising 315 

ago, after a great battle in Korea, the return- 
ing victors brought with them their enemies' 
ears and noses, instead of the heads, to show 
how many Koreans they had killed. These 
trophies were buried in a mound to commem- 
orate the battle. 

A trip was made from Kyoto to Ama-no- 
Hashidate — another of the ^ ' three finest 
views '' — by way of Suchi and Kawamori. 
For some miles the road out of Kyoto is bad; 
there is a long climb before Kameoka and a 
steep, long, but well-graded pass between So- 
nobe and Kinokiyama. The whole of this day's 
journey lay through beautiful, well- wooded 
country with glimpses of the Yuragawa as one 
rode along its left bank, then over a splendid 
hilly coast road into Miyazu — a distance of 
about ninety miles in all. 

The return was made by way of Shin-Mai- 
zuru, where one turns to the right after getting 
into the broad main street and soon reaches the 
coast again near Takahama. From there on to 
Obama the scenery would be hard to surpass 
with its views of the coast and of the wooded 
hills inland covered with azaleas, wisteria and 
other brilliant flowers. The road from Imazu 
skirts the western shores of Lake Biwa and is 
very narrow and bumpy until within ten miles 



316 The Spell of Japan 

of Otsu. Indeed, the roads, after leaving the 
coast, are often so narrow that there would be 
no pleasure in taking a car over them. 

L. and I found most of the roads around 
Kyoto good. A few of them present difficul- 
ties, such as the one from Kyoto to Kama- 
zawa, but from this point they are again 
fine, though many hills and dangerous spots 
are still to be met with. On a former visit we 
went in 'rickshas to the foot of these hills, pass- 
ing green fields of rice and reaching the Ha- 
rashiyawa Eiver, which flows rapidly into the 
plain. We took a flat-bottomed boat and were 
towed and poled up the swift water between 
the steep, wooded banks, where it was very 
lovely. We had tea at a tea-house on the bank, 
and watched the fishermen in boats, and looked 
out over the pleasant landscape in the sunset 
glow of crimson and gold before the purple 
shadows fell across the plains. 

From Kyoto to Otsu, which is on the shore 
of Lake Biwa, is about an hour's ride by rail. 
There one takes a small steamer up the lake to 
Nagahama, where, after a tiffin of carp with 
rice and soy at a tea-house, one may take a 
train again for Nara. 

One may also go from Kyoto to Nara direct 
by Jcuruma — a day's journey. There are in- 



Motoring and Cruising 317 

teresting temples to visit on the hillsides along 
the road — popular shrines where thousands of 
pilgrims with jangling staves, and holiday- 
makers taking tea and cakes, enjoy themselves 
simply in their beautiful surroundings. We 
passed among them, beneath the great gates 
guarded by fantastic demon gods, green and 
red and blue, and into temples, gorgeous but 
often dilapidated and dusty, past pagodas and 
through long avenues of stone lanterns. At 
Nara we saw the Golden Pavilion and the Silver 
Pavilion, the summer places of retired princes. 
There are entrancing gardens with little ponds 
filled with goldfish, tiny bridges and imitation 
mountains, the ^* wash-the-moon " cascade, and 
the platforms where warriors used to sit and 
look at the moon — those fierce, two-sworded 
warriors of other days. 

The old temples of Nara have stood there 
silently for over a thousand years, beneath the 
gaze of that huge, ungainly bronze Buddha who 
looks down with half-shut eyes, one hand held 
up in benediction, the other resting on his knee. 
He sits on his open lotus flower beneath the 
tall, solemn cryptomerias, — this wonderful 
Dai Butsu, the largest in all Japan. 

We wandered through the groves and the 
park where the dainty wild deer are so friendly. 



318 The SpeU of Japan 

On the hillside above is a temple to Kwannon, 
over a thousand years old, standing out from 
the dark green of the pines. Farther along is 
a Shinto temple, low and with galleries and 
many lanterns. Here we saw priests praying 
— shaven-headed homes in their robes — at 
whom pilgrims were tossing coppers. Beyond 
is the Wakamiya, where, for a consideration, 
some priestesses perform a dance called ka- 
gura while priests chant and play the flute and 
the tom-tom. As we went by, we saw a veiled 
priestess dancing there in true Eastern style. 
At the foot of the slope is a five-storied pagoda, 
black with age, for it dates back to the eighth 
century. 

Nikko and Nara! The one a place of some 
three hundred years, gilded and coloured — the 
other ancient, and sombre, and impressive. 

From Nara to Osaka you pass more old tem- 
ples, where they say an eye of Buddha is se- 
cretly guarded. Osaka is sometimes called the 
Venice of Japan, on account of its many canals 
and bridges. The castle here must have been 
by far the most magnificent in the country be- 
fore it was destroyed by fire. The moats and 
foundations that remain are splendid specimens 
of masonry. 

From Kyoto to Kobe is a ride of two and a 



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Motoring and Cruising 319 

half hours in the train. The road skirts the 
hills which bound Kyoto, passes Osaka, and 
follows some rivers that flow higher than the 
level of the country — indeed, the road runs 
through tunnels under three large streams! 

The terracing of the land is very marked 
along this route. Japanese methods of farm- 
ing and irrigation require that the land shall 
be level, and so the country is all plotted off 
into little irregular terraces. The ground is 
saturated with water, which stands to a depth 
of several inches around the growing crops. 
Paddy-fields are really ponds of standing 
water, while a farm is a marsh, the house alone 
rising above the surface. Farmers, while ta- 
king in their rice or plowing their fields, work 
with the water and thick black mud up to their 
knees. 

Kobe is the foreign name applied to Hyogo, 
the treaty-port. It is next to Yokohama in 
commercial importance. The foreigners in 
Kobe — English, German and American — 
have a very pleasant club, and pretty bunga- 
lows on the hills back of the town. A beautiful 
waterfall and the Temple of the Moon are not 
far away. 

Maiko, in the province of Harima, is one of 
the most enchanting spots in this part of Japan. 



320 The Spell of Japan 

It is near the upper entrance to the Inland Sea, 
not far from Kobe. Nothing can be more fairy- 
like and mysterious than the spreading, twisted 
trees on the white sand there in the moonlight. 
Maiko means dancing girl, and the place gets 
its name from the effect given the ancient pines 
when the wind blows the sand into shifting 
scarfs about them. 

Lake Shinji, on the northern coast, is also 
one of the most interesting places in the coun- 
try and one seldom seen by foreigners. Ogo- 
Harito is famous for its giant rocks washed by 
the sea into strange and fantastic shapes. It 
is the female spirit of the west coast, while 
Matsushima is considered the male spirit of 
the east coast. 

If one has time, Yahakii should be seen, for 
it is a very strange valley with its enormous 
conventional terraces made by nature. At the 
bottom of the canyon is a swift river, and tem- 
ples are perched here and there on high crags. 
Koro Halcho, in the province of Kii, is very 
beautiful, especially in the spring when the 
gorge with its deep cliffs is made lovelier still 
with wild flowers. A motorcyclist would find 
inviting trips in Hokkaido, where the roads are 
not bad, though it is rather difficult getting 
there. Over on the other coast, from Nazano 



Motoring and Cruising 321 

to Navetta, and around Kamisana, there are 
good roads. 

Our trip through the Inland Sea, from Kobe 
to Nagasaki, was one of the most delightful 
experiences that we had in Japan. We char- 
tered a boat at Kobe, after an extravagant 
comedy of errors. L. went on board at mid- 
night to examine it, and the agent did not dis- 
cover until after the business was finished that 
it was not the boat which he intended L. to see 
at all; but the captain was too quick for him, 
and seized the opportunity to make a good 
bargain. 

It turned out very well indeed for us. The 
steamer was of two hundred tons burden, one 
hundred and fifty feet long, with very comfort- 
able cabins — two small ones in European style 
and one large one extending entirely across the 
boat, with mats in native style, where Japanese 
passengers may lie side by side on their com- 
forters. We took our own supplies, and had a 
very good cook until he went off one night on 
a spree. 

We went aboard one evening, and sailed at 
daybreak next morning, being awakened by the 
rattling of the chain and the churning of the 
propeller. Soon we were gliding out of the 
harbour between the shipping, just as the sun 



322 The Spell of Japan 

came up out of the Eastern Ocean, chasing the 
shadows down the hillsides and bathing the 
shore in a glorious crimson. We turned Hyogo 
Point and headed for Akashi Straits, to enter 
the Inland Sea, passing palisades like those on 
the Hudson. 

All day long we went through the archipelago 
of green and yellow islands. At first the sea 
was glassy, then gently ruffled, and junks and 
sampans with queer sails glided by. Toward 
evening we passed into even narrower passages 
and straits, and the moon rose, all silver in 
the twilight sky, while we turned many times, 
now to the right, now to the left, finally coming 
to anchor off the twinkling lights of Onomichi. 
We landed after dinner and walked through 
the little town, then sat out on deck and sang 
in the flooding moonlight. 

'When we left next morning it was to pass 
more promontories on beautiful islands, lovely 
mountains rising behind, and picturesque 
shores fringed with tiny trees all green and 
purple in the haze. In the afternoon the clouds 
and rain that crossed our path only added to 
and varied the loveliness of the approach to 
Hiroshima. 

During the day we had an unsurpassed pan- 
orama of Japanese scenery, with grotesque, 



Motoring and Cruising 323 

broken islands fringed with pine, and ravined 
mountains dipping down into the calm blue 
waters, on which the quaintest and most unreal 
of sampans and junks were idly floating. We 
felt as if we were passing through a miniature 
ocean with its islands and old-world villages 
constantly appearing and disappearing in the 
rising, shifting mist. No wonder the Japanese 
believe in ghosts and in Bahu, the Eater of 
Dreams ! 

As the sun went down we rounded the en- 
chanted island of Miyajima — the third of the 
** three finest views " — and glided into the bay 
before the famous temple. When it grew 
darker the four hundred lanterns of bronze and 
stone along the water's edge were lighted for 
us. The temple itself is built on piles, and the 
torii stands far out from the shore. We were 
sculled across the still waters in a sampan. 
The tide was at its highest, and the hundreds 
of little lights were reflected in its glassy sur- 
face. Slowly we drifted beneath the great torii 
to the temple entrance. Once more the Spell of 
Japan stole over us. 

The sunrise next morning was too beautiful 
for words. We appeared to be coming out from 
a rosy dawn into a grey, dim future, as the 
sun came up through a pearly mist and the lit- 



324 The Spell of Japan 

tie clouds rose in wreaths about the tops of the 
strange mountains, making pictures such as 
the art of Japan loves to depict. Tiny straw- 
sailed boats appeared and disappeared myste- 
riously. It was all very silent and lovely. 

Later in the day we climbed the hill behind 
the temple, then came down and bathed, having 
tea at a delightful little tea-house, taking tiffin 
ashore beneath the tiny-leafed maples near a 
brook; we went aboard in the late afternoon, 
and, hoisting anchor, steamed away. 

Next morning we saw the sun rise at Moji. 
We passed Shimonoseki and then steamed out 
into the China Sea, keeping the picturesque 
shore of Kyushu in sight all the way. We 
picked our course through the outlying islands 
and the swirling straits of Hirado, and reached 
Nagasaki late at night. Contenting ourselves 
with one look at its twinkling lights, we retired. 
Morning showed us once more its beautiful har- 
bour, the mountains range on range behind it, 
and the city itself on either side, the houses 
rising above each other on long terraces to the 
summits of the hills on which Nagasaki is built. 

Near us a big ship was coaling — a wonderful 
sight to one who beholds it for the first time. 
It was surrounded by countless barges upon 
which were swarming crowds of Japanese — 



Motoring and Cruising 325 

men, women and children. Forming a long line 
that reached from the barges up a ladder into 
the ship's hold, they handed baskets of coal 
from one to the other, so that a continuous 
stream poured steadily into the ship. The 
strangeness of the costumes, the unusual sight 
of women doing a man's work — many of them 
with babies strapped to their backs — added 
to the interest of the busy scene. Down in the 
hold, where the heat must have been suifoca- 
ting, they plodded on, men and women, clad 
chiefly in coal-dust. All day long they worked 
away with happy smiles, the babies bobbing up 
and down on their mothers' backs, doubtless 
wondering what it was all about. The sight 
reminded me of the passage in the ^neid, 
where the poet speaks of the ants as '^ tiny 
toilers of giant industry," and describes them 
carrying crumbs in their mouths to the com- 
mon storehouse in a seemingly never-ending 
line. 

As we steamed out of the harbour, the green 
hills rose steeply from the water with houses 
and shrines peeping through the trees, backed 
by a still higher range of hills which were 
finally lost in the blue distance or broke off 
into crags and cliffs. 




CHAPTER XrV 



" If one should inquire of you concerning the spirit of a true 
Japanese, point to the wild cherry blossoms shining in the sun." 

The poet Motoori. 

HE Spell of Japan owes no small part 
of its potency to the abundant flowers, 
which weave about the land an ever- 
changing veil of bright colours and 
exquisite textures. First appear the fragrant 
plums, earliest of the *' One Hundred Flow- 
ers," and the freesias, and the wonderful dis- 
play of cherry blossoms in March and April, 
then the wisteria and azalea, the iris and the 
peony, '^ the flower of prosperity " — in China 
it is called ^' the queen of flowers " — in July 
the lotus, and in the autumn the chrysanthe- 
mum, '' the long-lasting plant." Of all these 
the cherry and the chrysanthemum are the most 
famous. 

The plum, an emblem of chastity, is enjoyed 
chiefly by the intellectual. There is only a 
breath of flower on the gnarled stock, a mys- 

326 



Flowers, Indoors and Out 327 

tery of white or pink or red, which requires 
close study to find delight in the manner in 
which the blossoms scatter irregularly on the 
beautiful, twisting branches, silvery with lichen. 
This charming little poem by Sosei refers 
to the plum as the herald of spring: 

" Amid the branches of the silv'ry bowers 
The nightingale doth sing: perchance he knows 
That spring hath come, and takes the later snows 
For the white petals of the plum's sweet flowers." 

The cherry, being gayer and more profuse, 
is more popular with the people. It is called 
** the king of flowers,'' and especially repre- 
sents abundance and vitality. It is therefore 
a fitting symbol of the national population. 
When the cherry is in blossom, the Japanese 
make excursions to view particularly beautiful 
trees, and as they feast and float in their pleas- 
ure boats, they enjoy even the fluttering petals, 
whether seen in the bright sunlight or the pale 
moonbeams. So high an official as a Prime 
Minister will take a day's journey for the sight 
of a cherry tree in bloom. 

A Japanese of the olden time has beautifully 
pictured the blossoming cherry trees: '^ When 
in spring the trees flower, it is as if fleeciest 
masses of cloud faintly tinged by sunset had 



328 The Spell of Japan 

floated down from the highest sky to fold them- 
selves about the branches.'' 

The wisteria is an especial favourite with 
foreigners, no doubt for the reason that we 
seldom see in America drooping clusters of 
such length — the length of an umbrella, as the 
Japanese measure. It is believed that this 
flower attains great size and beauty if the roots 
are nourished with the rice wine of the country, 
and there is at Kameido a tree producing un- 
usually fine blossoms, at the base of which vis- 
itors are accustomed to empty their wine cups. 

Every one is familiar with the beautiful and 
varied colours of the Japanese iris, as the bulbs 
are shipped to all parts of the world. The 
peony often measures nine inches across, and 
some of the tree peonies have petals of a lovely 
silky sheen and texture. It is sometimes called 
^^ the plant of twenty days," because it is said 
to keep fresh for that length of time. In art, 
it forms a constant decoration on temple and 
palace walls, and it is supposed, like the lotus, 
to have medicinal properties. 

The lotus is not used for festivities or re- 
joicing in Japan, but for sacred ceremonies and 
funerals. As it is a Buddhist flower, and as 
Buddhism started in India, it is sometimes 
called the national flower of India. It grows 



Flowers, Indoors and Out 329 

wonderfully, however, on the castle moats in 
Tokyo. 

In its season the chrysanthemum pervades 
the country. It blossoms in every garden, it 
grows by the roadside, and it stands in every 
tiny shop. Each loyal son of Dai Nippon has 
a flower upon which he may rest his eye and 
with which he may delight his artistic and 
patriotic sense. The sixteen-petalled flower is 
the crest of the Emperor, and no one else is 
allowed to use that as a design, although the 
blossom is often reproduced in decoration with 
fewer petals. The people go on pilgrimages in 
order to gaze with semi-religious awe upon 
' * the long-lasting plant ' ' ; the Emperor gives 
a chrysanthemum party; and the season of this 
most decorative of flowers is made one of gen- 
eral rejoicing. 

The chrysanthemum has been cultivated in 
China for more than two thousand years, says 
Dr. Bryan in the Japan Magazine, and there is 
evidence of its being cherished in Egypt a 
thousand years before it is mentioned in China. 
Whether it came from Egy^pt to China, or vice 
versa, it is impossible now to determine, but 
the Chinese like to regard it as a product of 
the Far East. Confucius mentions it in 500 
B. c, under the name of liUi, From China it 



330 The Spell of Japan 

was brought to Japan, where it has reached 
its highest development. 

What the lotus was to Egypt, the fleur-de-lys 
to France, and the Tudor rose to England, the 
chrysanthemum is to Japan. The flower is 
single, yet many. It is a unity in variety, and 
a variety springing from one undivided centre. 
The Japanese call it ^* binding flower," for just 
as its petals bind themselves together on the 
surface, so the Emperor and the people are 
forever bound together in indissoluble union. 
It was probably chosen as the most natural and 
artistic emblem of the sun, but both this and 
the cherry blossom, like the Emperor and his 
people, are considered children of that lumi- 
nary, whose orb resplendent stands for the 
country as a whole. Many a maiden of Japan 
is named after '' the binding flower," and its 
use is very typical of Japanese art and life. 

At one chrysanthemum show we saw nine 
hundred blossoms on a single plant, and the 
flowers were arranged to form figures of war- 
riors and ladies of long ago, from the fairy 
tales of Old Japan. At Dango-zaka, a place of 
professional gardens, an exhibition is held each 
year, for which visitors are charged two sen^ 
a peep. Here we saw wonderful figures made 

1 A sen is three-fourths of a cent. 



A Japanese Flower Man 



Flowers, Indoors and Out 331 

of flowers — one of an elephant and his rider 
being thirty-six feet high. In the grottoes and 
rockeries of the garden were other life-like fig- 
ures. It was a sort of ** Madame Tussaud's " 
with the characters in flowers instead of wax» 
On revolving stages were rocks and mountains, 
horses and men in all sorts of attitudes, bril- 
liant, curious and interesting — all made of 
flowers. One scene represented Commodore 
Perry's reception by the Shogun. 

The Imperial Chrysanthemum Party has 
been in vogue at the Japanese Court since 1682.^ 
Formerly, as the guests came before the Em- 
peror, a vase of lovely blossoms, to which was 
attached a bag of frankincense and myrrh, was 
placed in front of His Majesty, and cups of 
saTie with the petals floating in them were 
handed around. In the annals of China we read 
the explanation of this custom: 

There was once upon a time, as the story 
goes, a man who was warned of an impending 
calamity, which could be warded off, he was 
told, by attaching a bag of myrrh to his elbow 
and ascending a certain hill, where he was to 
drink sahe with the petals of the chrysanthe- 
mum floating in it. The man did as was sug- 

1 For this description, also, I am largely indebted to the 
writings of Dr. Bryan. 



332 The Spell of Japan 

gested, but on returning home he found all his 
domestic animals dead. When he informed his 
teacher that the plan had not worked, the 
former replied that the calamity was to have 
come upon his family, and that by acting upon 
the warning he had averted it, throwing the 
vengeance on the animals instead. 

The Emperor's Chrysanthemum Party is 
now conducted in a somewhat different man- 
ner from that of the olden time. It is held in 
the flower palace of the Imperial garden at 
Akasaka. Upon the arrival of the Emperor 
and his suite at the main gate, the Japanese 
national anthem begins, and the guests, who 
are already in their places, line the pathway 
on either side, bowing as Their Majesties, the 
Emperor and Empress, and the princes of the 
blood, file past. Then the guests fall into line 
after the Imperial party and follow to the place 
where the feast is prepared. 

The Emperor takes his place on the dais 
at the head of the marquee, and receives all 
the representatives of foreign countries and 
some of the higher officials of the Empire. As 
each diplomat appears in the Mikado's pres- 
ence he bows three times, and his felicitations 
are translated into Japanese by an interpreter 
who stands near His Majesty. The Empress 



Flowers, Indoors and Out 333 

is seated on a dais slightly lower but very 
near, and all who approach the Emperor bow 
also to the Empress. This function over, the 
Emperor sips a glass of wine, which is the 
signal for the feast to commence. As soon as 
the feasting is ended the band strikes up, and 
His Majesty begins to prepare for his depar- 
ture. The guests again line up, and bow in 
farewell as the Imperial procession files out, 
then they enjoy the view of the superb chrys- 
anthemums. 

The Imperial Cherry Blossom Party in the 
spring is held in the same garden at Akasaka, 
and is conducted in much the same way, an 
elaborate feast being laid in a great marquee. 
The palace in these grounds originally belonged 
to Prince Kishu, but after the burning of the 
Emperor's palace in 1873 this one was used 
as a temporary abode of the Imperial family, 
and was afterward the residence of the Crown 
Prince, now Emperor. 

In the province of Kai there is a hill called 
Chrysanthemum Mount, overhanging a river 
into which the petals fall. It is believed that 
long life is assured by drinking the water. 
Among the people the custom also survives 
of placing small blossoms or petals in the 
cup during the wine-drinking that takes place 



334 The Spell of Japan 

at the festival on the ninth day of the ninth 
month. 

The Japanese fondness for flowers is not be- 
stowed chiefly on the rare and costly varieties 
produced by the florist's skill, but is lavished 
upon the familiar blossoms of every day. Love 
of nature is shown in their pilgrimages for 
seeing flowers, picking mushrooms, gathering 
shells, and even for viewing the moon, which 
form their favourite holiday excursions. One 
of the prettiest conceits of the Japanese imag- 
ination is that which regards the snowflakes as 
the flowers of winter, and has added snow-view- 
ing to the list of flower-festivals. 

Parties are even formed to rise at dawn and 
go out to see the morning-glories open. I can 
testify, too, from my own experience that they 
are well rewarded, for Japanese morning-glo- 
ries are worth seeing. One day when our train 
was delayed at a village, the station master 
invited us to view the morning-glories in his 
tiny garden, about twenty feet square. The 
colours were so beautiful that they were really 
a feast for the eyes. Some were pale in tint, 
some brilliant, and some had crinkled flowers 
and leaves. 

Among the Japanese popular names for 
plants are some interesting ones. The tufted 



Flowers, Indoors and Out 335 

grass that grows on the hillsides has the de- 
lightful name of '^ lion's moustache.'' The 
barberry, which grows wild in Japan as it 
does here, is popularly styled ** snake-can 't- 
climb-up," on account of its thorns, the idea 
being that the snake wants the berries, but the 
thorns keep him off. The little pachysandra, 
sometimes used here for borders in gardens, 
bears the high-sounding title of ^ ^ noble plant. ' ' 
We are surprised at this until we discover 
that it is very hardy, adapts itself to any 
surroundings, and blossoms under the unfa- 
vourable conditions of early spring. Because 
of these qualities, rather than for anything 
striking in its outward appearance, it is called 
noble. It is also a symbol of good luck, perhaps 
in recognition of the fact that a person's good 
fortune comes chiefly from his hardihood, 
adaptability and power to overcome obstacles. 
On one of our visits to Japan we imitated 
the fashion of the country and made pilgrim- 
ages to view the lotus, which was in full bloom 
in July, its pink and white blossoms almost 
covering the waters of the ponds. Again in 
the autumn, we went on excursions to enjoy 
the charming colours of the maples. Often we 
took jinrikishas and went to an inn by a rip- 
pling brook, where we spent the day, eating the 



836 The Spell of Japan 

native food with chopsticks from little lacquer 
trays, and looking out from the balcony of pol- 
ished wood upon the bright, sharp-pointed 
leaves dancing in the sunshine. 

At the various festival seasons of the year, 
different flowers and plants are used, either 
alone or in combination with others. For in- 
stance, the pine and the bamboo appear among 
New Year decorations; the iris is the flower 
of the Boys' Festival; fruits and berries are 
used on the first day of the eighth month. Such 
occasions as the coming of age of a young man, 
a promotion in rank, farewell gatherings, death 
anniversaries, poetry meetings, tea ceremonials 
and incense burnings, all are adorned by their 
appropriate flowers. 

Japanese flower arrangement differs funda- 
mentally from that of the West, and includes 
much more than the mere massing of a cluster 
of blossoms of beautiful colour and texture, set 
off by a sufficient number of leaves of some 
kind. lUe-hana, as they call their art, considers 
the flower as a mere detail and of little beauty 
apart from its proper place on the stem. In 
addition to grace and beauty of line and an 
entire absence of crowding, it requires the ex- 
pression of the thought that what you have 
before you is not simply cut flowers but a grow- 



Flowers, Indoors and Out 337 

ing plant — which must always have an uneven 
number of branches. Buds and even withered 
leaves are used as well as flowers, in order to 
suggest the natural mode of growth. By keep- 
ing the stems together for a few inches at the 
base a strong plant is indicated, springing from 
the surface of the water, which is supposed to 
represent the surface of the earth. 

As we learn the rules of Ike-hana, we do not 
wonder that it has been the study and diversion 
of philosophers, generals and priests. The 
three branches with which the arrangement 
starts are named Heaven, Man and Earth. 
Heaven, the longest branch, must be one and 
one-half times the height of the vase and must 
stand in the centre of the cluster. Man should 
be one-half the length of Heaven, and Earth 
one-half as long as Man. These sprays are 
bent into the desired curves before they are 
placed in the vase. Finally, but with great 
care, every leaf or flower that hides another 
must be ruthlessly cut off. 

By the use of special flowers and the varying 
disposition of the sprays the season of the year 
or the particular occasion for which the ar- 
rangement is designed may be indicated. For 
example, unusual curves of the branches sug- 
gest the high winds of March ; white flowers are 



338 The Spell of Japan 

used at a housewarming, or they signify water 
to put out a fire; evergreens or dirysantke- 
mums are used when a youth comes into his 
property, to express the wish that he may long 
keep his possessions. 

Following out the Buddhist idea of preserv- 
ing life as long as possible, the Japanese make 
their vases with a wide mouth, so that the water 
they contain may be exposed to the air. This 
makes it necessary to support the branches, 
and various kinds of holders have been devised 
for this purpose. Both vases and holders are 
made of basket-work, porcelain, bronze and 
bamboo, and according to their shape they are 
called by such names as " Singing Mouth, '^ 
* * Crane Neck, ' ' and ' * Eampant Lion. ' ' Hang- 
ing baskets in the form of boats, too, are pop- 
ular, and receive names like '' Cloud Boat " 
and *' Dragon-head Boat." In summer low, 
shallow vases are used, which suggest coolness 
by the extent of water surface exposed. 

According to the law of Ike-hana, vases 
should be nine-tenths filled with water in spring 
and autumn, in hot weather they must be brim- 
ful, in winter only four-fifths full, and even less 
in very cold weather. Pebbles may cover the 
bottom of the vase in imitation of a river-bed, 
both white and black ones being used. An 



Flowers, Indoors and Out 339 

effective arrangement is to place three large 
stones on top of the small ones — quite a high 
rock to represent a mountain, a second flat one, 
and a third between the others in height. 

The Japanese love to decorate their houses 
with flowers, but we might say on entering, 
Where are they? Why, in the most honoured 
place of all! On the raised platform of the 
alcove, perhaps beside the image of some god, 
stands a large vase with a few carefully ar- 
ranged branches of flowers, or maybe of leaves 
alone. These are enough. You feel no need 
of anything more. 

The table decorations made for Europeans 
are especially interesting. They are often 
placed directly on the tablecloth. One that we 
saw contained a conventionalized Fuji in ever- 
green needles, like a flat print, overhung with 
cotton wool to imitate clouds. Sometimes min- 
iature landscapes are formed in a box, for any- 
thing tiny delights the Japanese, and they 
spend whole days arranging such things. The 
Inland Sea is often represented in blue and 
white sand, with real earth for the shores and 
the islands, while small pine branches are in- 
troduced to look like twisted trees. Boats and 
fishes are put in the blue sand, and small tem- 
ples set up on the shore. As every imaginable 



340 The Spell of Japan 

toy is made by the Japanese, the scene can be 
varied according to the taste of the designer 
— I have even seen tiny European ladies imi- 
tated, and railway trains and telegraph poles 
introduced. 

In the miniature landscapes which "Watanabe 
devised for us he used dwarfed trees in almost 
every instance, and imitated water and water- 
falls with sands of different colours. For the 
Fuji of these pictures he sometimes used one 
of those oddly shaped pebbles that abound in 
Japan. 

On Washington's Birthday Watanabe sur- 
passed himself in this sort of decoration. He 
represented Washington City by a diminutive 
Capitol and White House and Washington Mon- 
ument, set in a park-like arrangement of gravel 
drives and avenues of tiny trees. Among these 
appeared absurd little equestrian monuments 
and decorative detail of various kinds. As he 
had never been in America we asked him how 
he had pictured it so correctly. He answered 
that he found a photograph of the Capitol in 
a book, and took it to a friend, who made models 
of the buildings for him. He also had arranged 
a large cherry tree (which, because it had arti- 
ficial flowers, appeared to be in full bloom), 
into which the proverbial hatchet was stuck. 



Flowers, Indoors and Out 341 

The Japanese art of landscape gardening- 
arose from their fondness for nature, which led 
them to reproduce in miniature the scenery 
visible from their homes. No doubt Chinese 
influence had its effect upon this art, as upon 
many others, through the medium of the Bud- 
dhist priesthood. 

Among the earliest examples of landscape 
gardening were the temple groves of Nara. 
From the twelfth to the fourteenth centuries 
gardens took on a freer form, more like that of 
the present time, but the dried-up water sce- 
nery was used, showing the hollow of a lake 
dry, as if in time of drought, sometimes com- 
bined with the bare mountain. In the fifteenth 
century, when the tea ceremony was introduced, 
a special form of garden was devoted to its 
use, while at the same time the art of flower 
arrangement flourished. Soami, about 1480, 
and Enshiu, a hundred years later, are among 
the best known landscape artists. ' * The Eocky 
Ocean," '' The Wide Eiver," '' The Mountain 
Torrent, ' ' and * * The Lake Wave ' ' are fanciful 
names given to different styles of gardening. 

A Japanese garden is generally enclosed by 
a bamboo paling, often in some pretty design, 
which may surround the house as well. There 
should be one high point in the garden, which 



342 The Spell of Japan 

(iominates the whole, and it may contain a 
miniature mountain, dwarf trees, stones, and 
a tea-house with a gateway at the entrance. If 
possible, there should be water with a bridge 
over it, and a cascade to bring luck. 

From the varying arrangement of these fea- 
tures, we find hill gardens, flat gardens, fin- 
ished, intermediary or rough gardens. On our 
place in Brookline, Massachusetts, we have a 
Japanese hill garden. The flat effect is espe- 
cially popular in Japan, with its gravel walks 
and stone lanterns in different sizes and de- 
signs; but whichever style is chosen, it must 
be so planned as to present its best appearance 
from the house. 

No garden is complete without one or more 
lanterns, which are placed, if possible, by the 
water, that their light may be reflected in the 
pond. The stone basins for washing the hands 
vary in style, and so, too, do the gateways; 
these sometimes have thatched roofs, which 
provide shelter, and can be made very attract- 
ive. There are twisted dwarf trees here and 
there, of course, and variously shaped stepping- 
stones set in regular order along the narrow 
paths. Low bridges, usually without railings, 
cross the tiny pond, in which there are often 
double-tailed goldfish and carp which rise to 



A Japanese Garden, Tokyo 



Flowers, Indoors and Out 343 

the surface when you clap your hands. Some 
enclosures even contain gaily coloured pheas- 
ants, ducks and storks. 

Curiously shaped stones are carefully se- 
lected for the garden, each one having a name 
and a meaning attached to it. Standing upright 
in the centre should be the high ** guardian 
stone." You may look for the ** worshipping 
stone ' ' in the foreground or on an island ; you 
will find the ^^ perfect view " on the hillside or 
in some prominent place; you discover the 
** water- tray stone " on the pond shore, and 
the ** shadow stone " in the valley between two 
hills. Next to the ** worshipping stone " is the 
*' seat of honour," whicli is flat and horizontal. 
The ^* snail " is the most important stepping- 
stone. 

Trees as well as stones have rank in the min- 
iature landscape. The principal tree is the 
largest, and is as a rule either a pine or an oak. 
One in a secluded corner with thick foliage to 
afford shade is called the '^ tree of solitude." 
The *' perfection tree " should have fine 
branches. Around the waterfall is planted the 
** cascade circuit," consisting of low bushes; 
and in the background is the '* setting-sun 
tree," which is turned westward in order to 
screen the garden somewhat from the rays of 



344 The Spell of Japan 

the sun, and is often a maple that will light np 
the place with its own glow in the autumn. 

In the literature of gardens we read of male 
and female cascades and rocks — just as of 
male and female styles of flower arrangement 

— the big one being the male, the smaller one 
near-by the female. The flowering tree is also 
considered a male, the plant in the same pot 
a female. 

The dwarf trees, that looked so strange when 
we first saw them, soon became to us one of 
the delightful features of gardening in Japan. 
These, as well as the gardens themselves, orig- 
inated in the love of nature, the Japanese wish- 
ing to have about them reduced copies of trees 
which they admired. As the demand for these 
pigmies has greatly increased in recent years 
and the process of dwarfing is slow, Japanese 
florists have discovered a way of making them 
by a speedier method. When they find old, 
stunted trees that have taken on unusual shapes 

— those that have become gnarled and twisted 
by growing among rocks are especially good for 
this purpose — they cut them back very closely, 
root and branch, then leave them to grow for 
a time in the soil. After this they take up the 
plants carefully without disturbing the earth 
immediately about the roots, and place them in 



Flowers, Indoors and Out 345 

pots. Trees even one hundred years old have 
been successfully treated in this way. 

But this is not ^' real dwarfing," which was 
described to me by my Japanese gardener. 
For this process, if you wish to keep the tree 
very small, it is raised from seed sown in a 
pot. After the seedling has made the growth 
of the first year, it is taken up, and the earth 
is carefully shaken off the roots and replaced 
with soil adapted to the special needs of the 
tree, which is allowed to grow for two or three 
years. Then it is time to begin trimming it 
into shape, and here the same symbolic arrange- 
ment is followed as in Ike-bana, based upon the 
three main branches. Heaven, Man and Earth. 
Root-pruning must also be started after the 
growing season is over, and the larger roots 
cut away, leaving only the finer ones. If the 
branches run out too far in one direction, their 
growth is stopped by cutting off the roots on 
that side. A tree that is to be kept very small 
is not repotted until the roots have filled the 
pot; one that is to make a larger growth is 
transferred at an earlier date. By scraping off 
the top of the soil occasionally and putting on 
fresh earth repotting may be postponed for 
eight or ten years according to the kind of tree. 

Dwarf maples from seed are ready for sale 



346 The Spell of Japan 

in two or three years; seedling pines require 
from ^ve to ten years to fit them for the market, 
and plums four or five years. Lately, however, 
it has become the custom to graft the plum, 
cutting back the tree until only a contorted old 
stump is left, and grafting upon this. We had 
two such trees at the Embassy, which were 
simply old stumps filled with plum blossoms, 
one cluster pink and the other white, diffusing 
their perfume all over the house. They were 
very beautiful with a plain gold screen for a 
background. 

All kinds of evergreens, oaks and maples, the 
plum and some other flowering trees, bamboos 
and every sort of flowering shrub, and some 
vines, such as the wisteria and the morning- 
glory, are all used for dwarfing. Plants having 
thorns are never treated in this way, neither 
are they used in the decoration of shrines nor 
in real Japanese flower arrangement. For this 
reason the large, fine roses in which we take 
such delight, had never been cultivated in Japan 
until perhaps forty years ago, when the first one 
was brought from Holland, and the method of 
cultivation was also borrowed from the Dutch. 

In gardens, these diminutive trees are care- 
fully shaded from the rays of the afternoon 
sun, and special pains are taken to keep them 



Flowers, Indoors and Out 347 

well watered. When the temperature is above 
ninety degrees, they are watered three times 
a day — at eleven in the morning, and at two 
and five in the afternoon. If they are used as 
house plants, the care of them is a dignified 
occupation, in which even nobles and princes 
may engage in their own homes. As the use 
of ordinary fertilizers might be disagreeable 
to these exalted personages on account of their 
bad odour, a pleasant and economical way has 
been found of supplying the small quantity of 
nourishment needed from eggs. After an egg 
has been broken and the yolk and the white 
removed, the shell, with the small amount of 
albumen that adheres to it, is taken in the hand 
and the broken edge touched here and there 
to the soil of the pot, leaving on each spot a 
tiny drop of white of egg. This process, re- 
peated from day to day, furnishes the little 
tree with all the nutriment it requires. Milk 
is also sometimes fed to these plants by the 
Japanese, who have discovered that it gives 
brighter colours to the flowers. 

We visited a charming exposition of pigmy 
trees in Shiba. Many gentlemen of Tokyo 
had sent their tiny plants and miniature vases, 
hihacJii, lacquers, books and jades to decorate 
the doll-house rooms. These playthings are in 



348 The Spell of Japan 

many cases of great antiquity and value, and 
lovely in quality and colour; as much pains 
and taste are required to arrange these little 
expositions as to decorate the large rooms of 
a palace. On account of our visit the gardener 
had taken particular trouble, and he showed 
us all the fairy articles with loving hands and 
words. There were microscopic trees an inch 
high and landscapes two inches long, which 
were a real delight, so exquisite were they. 
Such trees are really works of art, and some 
of them indeed as valuable as gems. About us, 
in pots of beautiful form and colour, were the 
dwarf trees of fantastic shape — stunted plum 
in fragrant bloom, white and pink, and gnarled 
trees hundreds of years old with blossoming 
branches springing out of seemingly dead 
trunks. 

The Arsenal Gardens in Tokyo are said to 
have been formerly the most wonderful in the 
country. Koraku-en, their Japanese name — 
literally translated, ^' past pleasant recalling," 
— probably means ** full of pleasant remem- 
brances." They were designed some three hun- 
dred years ago with the object of reproducing 
in miniature many of the most renowned scenes 
in the Island Empire. In front of the pavilion, 
however, is a lake which is copied from a noted 



Flowers, Indoors and Out 349 

one in China called Soi-ko. Beyond the lake 
rises a wooded hill, on which stands a small, 
beautifully carved replica of the famous temple 
Kiyomisu at Kyoto. Lower down the hill is a 
little stream spanned by an accurate copy of 
the well-known bridge at Nikko; further on 
is the shrine of Haky-i and Shiky-sei, the loyal 
brothers of Chinese legend. An arched stone 
bridge leads to still another shrine, and from 
this a path through a thicket of creepers con- 
ducts to a lake covered with lotus and fed by 
a stream which forms a lovely cascade. An- 
other path crosses little mountains through 
thick foliage of bamboo and pine, passes the 
artificial sea with its treasure island in the 
centre, and leads over bridges, by waterfalls 
and around temples. 

In these gardens the Japanese most perfectly 
realized their desire to transfer the features 
of a natural landscape to their immediate sur- 
roundings; here were magnificent trees of 
great size, lakes and streams and mountains 
in miniature, and a wide jungle of grass and 
bamboo. Through the noise and dust and dilap- 
idation due to the encroachments of the Arsenal 
workshops, one can still catch a glimpse of the 
underlying plan and imagine the ancient beau- 
ties of Koraku-en. 




CHAPTER XV 



" The great characteristic of Japanese art is its intense and 
extraordinary vitality, in the sense that it is no mere exotic 
cultivation of the skilful, no mere graceful luxury of the rich, 
but a part of the daily lives of the people themselves." 

Mortimer Menpes. 

T every turn of the head the artist in 
Japan discerns a picture that de- 
lights his eye — a quaint little figure 
dressed in bright colours standing by 
a twisted tree, a fantastic gateway through 
which he sees a miniature garden, or the curv- 
ing roof of a temple, half hidden among the 
trees. 

As architecture is always more or less af- 
fected by climate, the Japanese, in their land 
of earthquakes and typhoons, have put up low 
wooden structures, using cedar or fir princi- 
pally, because they are plentiful. The laws re- 
quire that houses shall not exceed six kin, or 
fathoms, in height, but allow warehouses, or 
godowns, which are more substantially built, 
to be carried up much higher. If by any 

350 



The Artist's Japan 351 

chance a house has two stories, the second is 
very low. When I asked the reason for such 
a law in China, where they have a similar one, 
I was told the wind gods did not like tall 
building's, but I was also assured that it was 
partly to keep missionaries from building high, 
churches. In Japan, I think it is probably on 
account of the danger of earthquakes. 

Owing to the rainy seasons in spring and 
autumn, the houses have no cellars and are set 
on low piles. The summers are very warm and 
the winters are fairly cold, so the sJioji, or 
sliding screen, without windows, was no doubt 
developed for that reason. Every house can be 
thrown open in summer and closed tightly in 
winter. As fires are frequent, no house is ex- 
pected to last many years, and therefore the 
Japanese store their valuables in fire-proof 
godowns. 

The ** Flower of Yedo '' blossomed glori- 
ously the other night, for hundreds of the tiny 
fragile houses went up in smoke, and thou- 
sands of people were made homeless. These 
Flowers of Yedo are the conflagrations that 
time after time spread through wide districts 
of the Capital with startling rapidity and leave 
nothing behind. Two days after the fire, little 
houses and fences of fresh new wood were 



352 The Spell of Japan 

springing np, for the people have been accus- 
tomed from time immemorial to these ^^ Blos- 
soms of the Flower. '^ 

In olden times the roofs were covered with 
thatch, but the danger from fires is so great 
that this has been replaced on many houses by 
tiles. In China it is said that the fashion of 
curving the roofs of buildings originated in 
order that the devil, when sliding down over 
them, might be tossed up again; in Japan, 
there are also curving roofs and — in the inte- 
rior of the country — upon the outer walls 
there are drawings of the god Jizo, who car- 
ries a large sword in both hands to ward off 
misfortune. 

In Japanese dwellings the kitchen is at one 
side of the front door. The rooms seldom have 
more than one solid wall, the others consisting 
of paper screens. In this solid wall there is 
always a toko-noma, or alcove, raised about a 
foot above the floor of the room and perhaps 
two feet deep. It should stand opposite the 
entrance, and is the most honourable place in 
the house. Here, where the hakemono — a per- 
pendicular, panel-shaped picture — is hung, 
and a rare porcelain vase of flowers may stand, 
is the seat of honour. At one side of the toko- 
noma is a cupboard — the place for the " hon- 




A CARVED PANEL. 



The Artistes Japan 353 

ourable ' ' book — and above this is a drawer 
where the writing-box is kept, also the wooden 
pillow. In some houses a square hole is found 
under the mat, in which a fire is built for 
warmth or for cooking purposes. Where there 
are none of these *^ fire holes, '^ prettily deco- 
rated jars of charcoal, called hibachi, are used. 

The shoji is often adorned with paintings or 
made of beautiful carved wood. The ham- 
mered brass, the lacquered and polished wood, 
and the superb ceilings add much to the beauty 
of the homes of the rich. 

Wood carving, both inside and out, is such 
a feature of the houses as well as the temples 
that it deserves mention here. At the en- 
trances to fine places and also on the slanting 
roof over the doorway of the house itself su- 
perb carvings are often seen. So many designs 
and colours are introduced, especially on tem- 
ple gates, that full scope is given to the imagi- 
nation and taste of the artist. The famous cat, 
for instance, on one of the gates at Nikko, is 
so wonderfully carved and so life-like that it 
is said to frighten the rats away. Bahu, the 
Eater of Dreams, and the phoenix and other 
imaginary animals also appear in Japanese 
wood carving. 

Temples are built on rising ground because 



354 The Spell of Japan 

the people believe that the gods are pleased 
with high places. The old castles and temples 
are finer architecturally than other buildings, 
the former, which were built upon hills or be- 
side great rivers, being extremely picturesque. 
They are many-storied, pyramidal structures, 
with curving roofs and gables projecting over 
each story. The buildings generally stand in 
three enclosures, each surrounded by a wall or 
moat, and cover a large extent of ground. The 
innermost, chief castle, is a large, square tower, 
three or four stories high, in which lived the 
lord in feudal times. The gentlemen of the 
household dwelt within the second enclosure, 
and in the outer one the soldiers and servants 
had their quarters. 

In the erection of castles and pagodas which 
have stood for many centuries, the Japanese 
have shown not only their skill as architects 
but also their knowledge of the principles of 
construction. Castles and the sides of moats 
are built of huge blocks of stone, some of those 
at Osaka being over thirty feet long and fifteen 
feet high, but the walls, slanting from base to 
apex, are really pyramids, which are supported 
within and bound together by enormous tim- 
bers. 

Among the most interesting of these old 



The Artist's Japan 355 

structures are the castle at Nagoya and that at 
Kumamoto, in Kyushu; the castle of Himeji is 
the most perfectly preserved. Kumamoto was 
built in its present fashion in 1607, and in the 
Saigo rebellion of 1877 it held out successfully 
against a large force of rebels, showing no lack 
of strength in its construction. The castle at 
Osaka, one hundred and twenty feet high and 
commanding an extensive view over the River 
Temma and the surrounding country, was once 
the finest fortress in the East, but has since 
been partially destroyed in various sieges. 

Pagodas — which are really towers with a 
series of curving roofs — are very striking in 
appearance and most artistic. Some of them 
have stood for seven hundred years or more, 
and many of them are kept upright by an ex- 
ceedingly ingenious device. In the centre, sus- 
pended from the top by one end, hangs an im- 
mense log, the lower part of which is sur- 
rounded by four other logs of the same size, 
firmly bolted to it. The base of this enormous 
structure is about an inch from the earth at the 
bottom of the pagoda, so that it forms a mighty 
pendulum, which in case of earthquake sways 
sufficiently to keep the building stable. 

When we discover that in Japan every person 
is an artist, we wonder at the universal deft- 



356 The Spell of Japan 

ness and skill in handiwork, until we learn that 
Japanese calligraphy is itself a fine art. Every 
character is an exercise in freehand drawing, 
each stroke of the brush, which is filled with 
India ink, being made by a quick movement of 
the forearm without support for the wrist. 

The methods of Japanese painters are very 
different from those of Western artists. They 
begin work with a burnt twig, often on a piece 
of prepared silk, afterward using the brush 
with India ink and water colours. Each one 
values his own special cake of India ink very 
highly. They do not draw directly from the 
object, but study it for hours in every detail, 
and then draw from memory. After a picture 
is well thought out, its execution may require 
only five or ten minutes. 

Japanese artists have conventional types of 
beauty, as the Greeks had. A woman must 
have a forehead narrow at the top, eyebrows 
far above the eyes, eyelids scarcely visible, and 
a small mouth. A man should have greatly ex- 
aggerated muscles, and arms and legs placed 
in almost impossible attitudes. Their pictures 
abound in bold, sweeping lines — the touch of 
power- — and perhaps for that reason, they 
have great admiration for Michel Angelo's 
work. 



The Artist's Japan 357 

Although we may know the colour prints of 
the Japanese better than their paintings, it is 
nevertheless true that their leading painters 
rank among the great artists of the world. Pic- 
tures were painted for the aristocracy; the 
colour prints, which cost but a trifle, were made 
for the common people. Painting was intro- 
duced into Japan by Buddhist priests, and 
some of the finest masterpieces are shut up 
from the world in the temples of Buddha. 
Many of them, however, have been reproduced 
in the beautiful series of wood cuts published 
by the Japanese Government. America has 
two collections of the original paintings which 
are finer than any in Europe — that in the 
Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and the Freer 
collection in Detroit. 

Painting, as a fine art, has existed in Japan 
for twelve centuries. The oldest picture re- 
corded is said to have been done on the wall of 
a temple at Nara in the early part of the sev- 
enth century. The ninth century was the first 
great literary and artistic era of Japan, when 
Kanaoka lived, who is called the greatest mas- 
ter in the whole history of Japanese painting. 
His works included not only Buddhistic figures 
but also animals, landscapes and portraits. 

Tradition has it that the peasants in the 



358 The Spell of Japan 

neighbourliood of a certain Buddhist temple 
were greatly troubled on account of the havoc 
wrought in their gardens by the nightly visits 
of some large animal. Setting a watch, they 
discovered the intruder to be a magnificent 
black horse, which took refuge from his pur- 
suers in the temple. They entered, but no horse 
was there, except one superbly painted by 
Kanaoka. As they stood beneath the picture, 
drops of sweat fell upon them — the horse was 
hot and steaming! Then one of the peasants 
caught up a brush, and painted into the picture 
a halter which fastened the horse to a post. 
This was effective; he never again foraged in 
the peasants' gardens. 

The earliest purely Japanese school was the 
Tosa, which originated in the tenth century. A 
glorious artistic period covered the three cen- 
turies from the eleventh to the fourteenth. It 
was in 1351 that the great Cho Densu was born, 
who has been styled '* the Fra Angelico of 
Japan." By some critics he is ranked with 
Kanaoka himself. Although he was a Bud- 
dhist priest he did not confine himself to relig- 
ious subjects, but was equally great in other 
lines. 

The Kano School was founded in the fifteenth 
century. This was the period of the masters 



The Artist's Japan 359 

of landscape painting, among whom Sesshiu is 
the most famous. His landscapes are full of 
grandeur and dignity, but it is said his figure 
paintings must be seen before his power can be 
appreciated. He went to China for study, but 
to his disappointment could find no artist who 
could teach him anything he did not already 
know. Then he said, ** Nature shall be my 
teacher; I will go to the woods, the mountains 
and the streams, and learn of them.'' As he 
travelled through the country in carrying out 
his purpose, he found Chinese artists came to 
study with him. The Emperor of China en- 
gaged him to paint a series of panels on the 
walls of the palace in Peking, and on one of 
them, as testimony that the work was done by 
a Japanese painter, he depicted the peerless 
Fuji. 

In the seventeenth century arose the Ukioye, 
or Popular School, of which Moronobu and 
Hokusai were the great artists. They are per- 
haps even better known for their prints. The 
Naturalistic School, more like European work 
than that of the earlier artists, was founded by 
Okio in the eighteenth century. To this group 
belonged Ippo, a fine landscapist, and Sosen, 
one of the famous animal painters of the world, 
particularly known for Ms pictures of monkeys. 



360 The Spell of Japan 

Yosai, who died in 1878, was the last great 
Japanese painter. He studied in all the 
schools, and combined some of the best charac- 
teristics of each. Since his death there have 
been clever painters but no great artists. 

Like many other things in Japan to-day, her 
art of painting is in the transition stage. There 
are two schools, the conservatives, who cling 
to the art of ancient days, and the progress- 
ives, who believe that they must borrow fresh 
conceptions from the Western masters, and 
feel that want of reality has been a defect in 
the old Japanese work. However, in copying 
Western methods, they are introducing vulgar 
subjects, from which Japanese painting has 
generally been free. At the art exhibitions of 
1913 there were ninety-three who entered oil 
paintings; this alone shows the great change 
in their work. While the Japanese painters of 
to-day cannot escape the influence of European 
art, it is to be hoped that they will not lose 
the delicacy of treatment, the subtle suggest- 
iveness, and the grace and sweep of line that 
belonged to the old masters. 

To my mind the most interesting things for 
Europeans to collect in Japan are the prints, 
which first came in vogue about 1690. The 
Japanese have, in these, added a charm quite 



The Artistes Japan 361 

their own to every thought which they have 
received from other nations. The conditions 
under which the artists worked in olden times 
were most favourable, for they lived under the 
protection of the great daimyos, were supplied 
with the necessities of life, and were free from 
care. 

Mr. Keane, of Yokohama, is an authority on 
old prints, of which he has made several col- 
lections. We lunched one day with him at his 
home in the upper part of his office building 
on the Bund, in Yokohama. (When foreign 
merchants first went to Japan they always lived 
over their places of business.) The view over 
the sparkling harbour and away off to the hori- 
zon, where little fleets of slanting-sailed sam- 
pans were working their way up the Bay of 
Yedo with the sunlight striking their sails, was 
really superb. Mr. Keane stores his prints in 
a safe, but for the enjoyment of his guests he 
took them out on the day of the luncheon. They 
were so much finer and more interesting than 
the common, every-day prints of the dealers 
that they quite took our breath away. 

Of American collections, that of Mr. William 
Spalding, in Boston, is particularly good, in- 
cluding, as it does, some beautiful rare figures 
in black and white by Matabei, the father of the 



362 The Spell of Japan 

Ukioye school of painting, from which the art of 
colour printing is derived. Mr. Spalding has 
hand-coloured prints by Moronobu, some of 
which are in orange-red and old rose. In some 
cases the paper of the old prints takes on a 
beautiful yellow autumn glow with age, which 
adds to their beauty. The colours yellow, black, 
orange and green were introduced about 1765. 
For the orange-red and old rose red-lead {tan) 
was used, hence the prints of this kind were 
called tan-ye, and are of great value to-day. 
Moronobu was a wonderful draughtsman, and 
his figures in black and white are greatly prized. 

Masanobu and Kiyonobu were prominent 
among the early artists, but the perfection of 
technique in prints was reached under Kiyo- 
naga. 

Utamaro, who became the leading print de- 
signer of his day, lived in the latter part of 
the eighteenth century, when the art of making 
these wood cuts was at its best. Unfortunately 
his whole life was a career of dissipation; his 
father disowned him, and he was finally put in 
prison for libelling the Shogun. Soon after 
that, his health gave way, and he died at the 
age of fifty-three. Toward the end of his life, 
however, he was so popular and so over- 
whelmed with commissions that in his endeav- 



The Artist's Japan 363 

our to fulfill orders his later work degenerated. 
Utamaro's style was copied by his pupils, and 
his signature was so often forged that it is 
difficult to pick out his prints. His chief works 
were pictures of geishas, in which the long lines 
of the kimonos are much admired. His were 
the first colour prints to reach Europe through 
the Dutch. 

Toyokuni was another master of the same 
period, whose favourite subjects were actors in 
character. In this sort of print and in his tech- 
nique he was unsurpassed. 

Hiroshige — two of whose pupils took his 
name — lived at the beginning of the downfall 
of Japanese colour printing. He was a prolific 
worker, and his wood cuts are delicate and sel- 
dom show strong contrasts. He is especially 
noted for landscapes, and did views of the In- 
land Sea, of snow scenes, and of mists and 
rains, in very delicate pastel colours. Eight 
famous views of Lake Biwa, as well as several 
sets of the Tokaido, were done by this artist. 
Heads by Sharaku with a silver background 
are very striking, and have lately become the 
rage in Paris. They certainly have strength 
and individuality, but they are hideous beyond 
words. He was especially fond of doing actors, 
and the faces are full of expression. 



364 The Spell of Japan 

Hokusai, whom Whistler called ^' the great- 
est pictorial artist since Vandyke," is placed 
by European critics at the head of all colour- 
print designers, but in Japan is considered 
second-rate. For one reason, the Japanese 
cannot forgive the vulgarity of some of his 
subjects. We might well apply to him the name 
given to the school of art of which he is the 
best example — Ukioye, '^ Mirror of the Pass- 
ing World." He was born in 1760, and started 
as an engraver, but became a book-illustrator 
at an early age. At eighteen he went into the 
studio of Shunsho as a pupil, but his work was 
so original and so unlike his master's that he 
was soon expelled. After that, he was so poor 
that he peddled in the streets of Tokyo. 

Later, Hokusai collaborated with the success- 
ful novelist Bakin for many years. The fa- 
mous set of prints of a hundred views of Fuji, 
the series of the waterfalls of Japan, the noted 
bridges, the scenes in the Loochoo Islands, as 
well as the views of the Tokaido, were all done 
in the latter part of his life. Hokusai used 
strong colours, and produced fine work. He 
was most unfortunate in having all his original 
studies destroyed by fire, and as he was care- 
less about money matters he died in poverty. 
Just before his death — in 1849 — he said, ^ ^ If 




VIEW OF MOUNT FUJIYAMA. — PRINT BY HOKUSAI. 



The Artist's Japan 365 

fate had given me but five years more, I should 
have been able to become a true painter/' 

Entirely green and entirely red prints, I was 
told, were rare. I never saw but one wholly 
green print in Japan, but that sold for a small 
sum, so perhaps I was misinformed as to its 
value. I was also told that the prints entirely 
in red were made to amuse the lepers in olden 
days, so were destroyed afterward, hence few 
exist, but as I find some collectors never heard 
of this story, again I am in doubt. The trip- 
tychs are particularly valuable to-day. The 
long strips — the pillar prints — were made for 
the poorer classes, the kakemono for the nobles. 
Both paintings and prints are usually in one 
of two shapes, either the kakemono, or long 
scroll, or the makemono, the horizontal picture. 
The former are not framed, so they can easily 
be rolled and stowed away when not wanted 
for decoration. 

The blocks on which the prints were engraved 
were made of cherry wood, both sides of which 
were used for economy's sake. The design on 
thin Japanese paper was pasted on the block, 
face downward, then the wood was cut by the 
engraver. Black ink was used in the first stages 
of the reproduction. Proofs were then taken 
by hand-pressure and pasted on other blocks, 



366 The Spell of Japan 

one for each colour. '^ * Each of these colour- 
blocks was then cut in a manner to leave a flat 
surface of the correct form to receive the pig- 
ment proper to it; and the finished print was 
the result of a careful and extraordinarily skil- 
ful rubbing on all the blocks in succession, be- 
ginning with the key block.' " ^ 

Some of the great Japanese painters de- 
signed prints, others did not. Often it is dif- 
ficult to distinguish by whom a print was de- 
signed, notwithstanding the signature, because 
artists sometimes gave their own name to their 
favourite pupil. For this reason and many 
others, beware of the print-dealer. 

The highly developed artistic sense of the 
Japanese has found expression in various ways, 
but their deftness and delicacy of touch has led 
them especially to the production of small ob- 
jects that delight the collector of curios. There 
is the netsuke in endless variety; the inro, or 
small medicine chest; the ornamental sword- 
hilt; minute wood carvings; besides bronzes 
and porcelain in shapes innumerable. 

Collectors will show you with great pride 
their netsuke. These were worn as ornaments 
attached to the cord of the tobacco pouch to 

1 Quoted from Mr. Arthur Morrison, in J. F. Blacker's "The 
A B C of Japanese Art." 



The Artist's Japan 367 

prevent it from slipping through the sash. The 
inro and the pocketbook were also worn in the 
same way. The oldest and most valuable ne- 
tsuke were made of the heart-wood of the 
cherry, which becomes a rich brown colour with 
age, and some were beautifully carved. 

A very old wooden netsuke, which was pre- 
sented to us, represents the goddess Uzume- 
no-Mikoto, popularly known as Okame. She 
was so beautiful that she could not be pictured. 
As it was impossible to reproduce her charms, 
a face was chosen to represent her that in no 
way was a likeness, but was sufficiently indi- 
vidual never to be mistaken. She is made very 
fat in the cheeks, and sits in the shade of a 
mushroom. 

Netsuke are also found in ivory, bone and 
jade. Many are images of gods and goddesses, 
and some are humourous figures. A beautiful 
ivory one that was given us is in the form of 
a turtle, which signifies long life, but on the 
under side is one of the seven gods of luck with 
his shiny bald head. 

During the sixteenth and seventeenth cen- 
turies the inro was worn as an ornament, and 
no man of taste would consider himself well 
dressed without it. This led many of the great 
artists to design them. Among the well-known 



368 The Spell of Japan 

inro artists were Jokasai, lizuka and Saiihara- 
Ichidayu, but there are so many others who are 
noted in Japan that it is impossible to give 
them all here. Some of the finest specimens of 
their work are found to-day in the Imperial 
Museum in Tokyo. Many of these are of lac- 
quer, minutely and exquisitely carved, those in 
gold lacquer and dark red being the most val- 
uable. 

There are lacquer vases and boxes, too, but 
the fine old lacquers are not easy to get now- 
adays. Writing-boxes, some of which are in 
charming designs, are also much in demand for 
collectors. Some of our writing-boxes are of 
deeply carved old red lacquer, depicting houses 
and landscapes. One is of gold and black with 
tinted maple leaves, exquisite in design. An- 
other has a background of speckled gold, on 
which are dwarf cherry trees with blossoms of 
enamel, and still another of gold lacquer is 
inlaid with mother-of-pearl. 

Sculpture, like painting, was brought to 
Japan by Buddhist priests, and many of the 
earliest statues were figures of gods and god- 
desses. These were usually of bronze or wood, 
not so often of stone. As early as the seventh 
century fine bronzes were cast at Nara, and 
over a hundred altar-pieces of that period are 



The Artistes Japan 369 

still in existence in Japan. To a somewhat 
later age belongs the colossal Buddha of Nara, 
the largest statue ever cast in bronze. The 
Great Buddha of Kamakura, rather smaller but 
of finer workmanship than that at Nara, is 
believed to date from the thirteenth century. 

Old bronzes are much sought after by col- 
lectors, the best dating from the seventeenth 
century. Vast numbers of gods and goddesses 
and mythical animals were made of small size 
to be set up in houses as well as temples. 
Among these some of the Buddhas and Kwan- 
nons are fine. Buddha has many attitudes — 
sleeping, exhorting or meditating — and all are 
interesting. 

Temple-lanterns, candlesticks, bells and in- 
cense-burners were also made of bronze in 
forms showing great wealth of imagination. 
The beautiful old bronzes are of several kinds 
— gold and silver, and many shades of green 
and brown. The gold bronze takes on a won- 
derful polish, and can be made in different 
colours according to the proportions of the 
metals used in the alloys, varying from a 
deep-blue violet to a red-yellow or a golden 
green. The silver bronze has a fine silver-grey 
tint. These metals are also used in combina- 
tion with gold lacquers and with mother-of- 



370 The Spell of Japan 

pearl and silver, or are encrusted with charm- 
ing relief designs in enamels. 

In the entrance hall of our Washington house 
is a huge green bronze Buddha, at least ten 
feet high, with tight curls upon his head, half- 
shut eyes, and the big ear-lobes, which signify 
longevity. In the bronze halo about bis head 
are small figures of Kwannon, and Chinese 
characters decorate his garment. With one 
hand uplifted, he sits serene and imperturba- 
ble, cross-legged on his lotus flower. 

Not far from the Buddha is a bronze Kwan- 
non about five feet high, a gracefully draped 
figure, standing on a large petal of the lotus. 
About her neck are jewels, and behind her 
crown is a small image of Buddha, typifying 
her ever-present thought of him. 

We also have a shrine that we prize greatly 
— a modern shrine, perhaps five feet in height, 
such as is found in a Japanese gentleman's 
house. The exterior is of black lacquer, but 
when the folding doors are open, the interior 
is seen to be golden. In the centre stands a 
small Buddha ; the wise men — his advisers — 
sit cross-legged on either side. The carving in 
this shrine is slightly tinted in colours, mixed 
with gold, and is indescribably fine and beauti- 
ful. A No dance is depicted for the entertain- 



The Artist's Japan 371 

ment of the Buddha, above which are palaces, 
people and animals, supposed to represent 
scenes in heaven. On either side hang two 
bronze lanterns. On the table before the shrine 
are the ceremonial utensils, consisting of an 
incense-burner, two flower vases, and two can- 
delabra. Below is a gong for the devotee to 
strike, in order to call the Buddha ^s attention, 
and near-by is the box containing the holy 
books. 

In feudal days the samurai went into battle 
clad in breast-plate and helmet, gauntlets and 
coat-of-mail, all of which were adorned by the 
armourer's skill, but the most beautiful deco- 
rations were lavished upon the sword — ^ ' the 
soul of the samurai/^ The shaJciido — sword- 
hilt — is a curio that people collect. The in- 
laying and overlaying and blending of metals 
that was done on arms and armour in olden 
times was marvellous, and even the metal-work 
of to-day is remarkably clever. Besides the 
sword-hilt, there was the sword-guard, a flat 
piece of metal, often in exquisite designs. 

Pottery from Korea and porcelain from 
China, of course, had some influence in Japan. 
The Japanese are considered very fine potters, 
perhaps the best in the world, and their old 
ware is highly prized. The handsome old pot- 



372 The Spell of Japan 

tery made in Kyoto and also that of Bizen are 
much valued by Japanese collectors, and the 
work of such famous men as Nomura, Ninsei, 
and others is highly esteemed.- Old Imari and 
Arita wares are considered choice, as well as 
Satsuma, but all of them, especially Satsuma, 
are much imitated to-day. 

The Arita, a blue ware, is thought very 
pretty, but not until after German methods 
were introduced did it attain perfection. The 
Seto porcelain, made in the Tokugawa Period, 
is very well known. Kutani is especially pop- 
ular in America, and Awada ware is also in 
demand in the foreign market. The cream- 
white made to-day in Kyoto is particularly at- 
tractive. Neither the ancient nor the modern 
Japanese porcelains, however, compare with 
the old Chinese, some people even going so 
far as to say that the only things in the Far 
East worth collecting are old Chinese porce- 
lains. 

Incense-burners are made in porcelain and 
bronze, and are beautifully modelled in the 
form of gods and goddesses, and of birds and 
other animals. Curiously enough, besides their 
office in worship, they were used in playing a 
game, which consisted in guessing the name of 
the perfume that was burning. 



The Artist's Japan 373 

There are attractive lacquer and porcelain 
sake cups to collect, and so many charming 
modern things that I will not mention any more, 
except the wonderful crystal balls, so clear and 
mysterious that they quite hypnotize you if you 
look into their depths. The legend called * ' The 
Crystal of Buddha " seems to show that these 
balls were originally introduced from China. 
I insert the story here in order that we may 
always be reminded of the delightful mythology 
of Japan as well as of the treasures of the land. 
In a few words it is this : 

A beautiful Japanese girl became the wife 
of the Emperor of China. Before she left 
Japan, she promised to send back three treas- 
ures to the Temple of Kofukuji. The Chinese 
Emperor found her very charming and loved 
her very much, and when she told him of her 
promise, he put before her many curios to 
choose from. She finally decided upon three 
fairy treasures — a musical instrument which 
would continue to play for ever, an ink- stone 
box which was inexhaustible, and the last, in 
Madame Ozaki's words, ** A beautiful crystal 
in whose clear depths was to be seen from 
whichever side you looked, an image of Buddha 
riding on a white elephant. The jewel was of 
transcendent glory, and shone like a star, and 



374 The Spell of Japan 

whoever gazed into its liquid depths and saw 
the blessed vision of Buddha had peace of heart 
for evermore/' 

But alas! while the treasures were on their 
way to Japan, there arose a terrible storm, 
during which the crystal ball was stolen by the 
Dragon King of the Sea. A poor fisherwoman 
at last found it shining in the depths of the 
ocean. While in bathing, '^ she suddenly be- 
came aware of the roofs of the palace of the 
Sea King, a great and gorgeous building of 
coral, relieved here and there with clusters of 
many-coloured seaweeds. The palace was like 
a huge pagoda rising tier upon tier. She per- 
ceived a bright light, more brilliant than the 
light of many moons. It was the light of Bud- 
dha's crystal placed on the pinnacle of this vast 
abode, and on every side of the shining jewel 
were guardian dragons fast asleep, appearing 
to watch even in their slumber." The fisher- 
woman stole the jewel, but it cost her her life. 
In reward for her bravery her son was brought 
up as a samurai, so the wish she had most at 
heart was gratified. 




CHAPTER XVI 

SAYONABA DAI NIPPON 

T the close of the last administration, 
L. resigned his post, and with real 
regret we prepared to leave the Land 
of a Million Swords. We had experi- 
enced nothing but the pleasantest relations with 
the Japanese, nor had we at any time heard of 
rudeness to Anaericans. 

The day we sailed L. was besieged with peo- 
ple who came to say good-bye. Among those 
who called were Mr. Sakai and Mr. Yoshida, 
for the Foreign Office. Mr. Matsui, the Vice- 
Minister of Foreign Affairs, brought us a su- 
perb basket of flowers, while Mr. Nagasaki, 
Master of Ceremonies at Court, presented us 
with some orchids from the Imperial green- 
house. 

Best of all, as we thought at the time, Mr. 
Baba, Master of Ceremonies to the Empress, 
came with a magnificent gold lacquer box from 
Her Majesty. We received him in state in 
the parlour, and with much ceremony and re- 
peated bows he presented the gift, accompany- 

375 



376 The Spell of Japan 

ing it with many pleasant messages from the 
Empress. In return we bowed and expressed 
our gratitude for the great honour, speaking 
of our love for the country and our deep re- 
gret at leaving, and adding that we should 
always have the happiest memories of our 
stay in beautiful Japan. The most gratify- 
ing token of appreciation, however, has come 
to my husband since his withdrawal from the 
diplomatic service. This is the grand cordon 
of the Order of the Rising Sun, First Class, 
conferred in recognition of his efforts to pro- 
mote friendly relations between this country 
and Japan. 

Many people telephoned to know by what 
train we were leaving, but we decided to slip 
away to Yokohama in the motor. We looked 
for the last time at the Embassy, with its pretty 
garden, where we had been so happy, and get- 
ting into the car were shot out of the porte- 
cochere and around the circle, waving good-bye 
to some of the Staff and the servants who stood 
bowing at the door. 

At the Consulate in Yokohama L. joined Mr. 
Sammons, the Consul-General, and went to a 
luncheon at the Grand Hotel given in his honour 
by the Asiatic and Columbia Societies, which 
are composed of the American colony. All 



Sayonara dai Nippon 377 

joined in drinldng his health and in wishing 
him a pleasant voyage and a speedy return. 
In answer L. said that during his all too brief 
stay in Japan he had come to realize the great 
cordiality and hospitality of the American com- 
munity in Yokohama and other cities, and this 
realization made it all the harder for him to 
say farewell. After adding that each visit to 
Japan only made him like the country better, 
he closed by saying that while he was about 
to cease to be officially the Ambassador from 
one country to the other, he yet looked forward 
to being in the future, unofficially, an ambas- 
sador between the two, and hoped that he would 
soon see many of those present at his home, 
where they would always be welcome. 

I went to Mrs. Sammons' luncheon, where 
she had several ladies as guests. The table 
decorations were exquisite, in Japanese style. 
After luncheon Mrs. Sammons took me in her 
motor to the wharf, where we found L. waiting 
for us with a number of people who had come 
to see us off. Everybody cheered as we boarded 
the launch, which took us to the steamer ; there 
we found baskets of flowers, candies, books, 
and other gifts awaiting us. 

In a few minutes the big ship began to shake 
and the water to rush by, and we knew that we 



378 The Spell of Japan 

were off. Soon the sun, a great red disk — 
fitting national emblem of Japan ! — went down 
in the glow of the dying day. Above the dark- 
ness, which settled on earth and sea, rose the 
mysterious cone of * * Fuji-San, ' ' seeming de- 
tached from all that was earthly below, a divine 
spirit of a mountain-top, which slowly disap- 
peared as the night filled the heavens with stars. 
As I sat in my steamer chair I had time to 
think again and again of the land and the peo- 
ple we had left behind. I remembered with 
pleasure the pretty, gentle women with their 
laughing, almond-eyed babies riding happily on 
their mothers ' backs, and recalled with admira- 
tion the Spartan men, so loyal to their country. 
Closing my eyes I seemed to see the quaint 
little streets, lined on either side with paper 
houses, in front of which gay toys were dis- 
played for sale. Industrious workmen, making 
curious objects with their deft fingers, sat in 
their doorways, and painters also, designing 
fantastic animals of the imagination. Once I 
seemed to catch the perfume of the plum blos- 
soms, and with it I dreamed of golden temples 
on the hillside and thought I heard a Buddhist 
priest muttering to himself, '* All beings are 
only dreaming in this fleeting world of unhap- 
piness." 



Sayonara dai Nippon 379 

Mixed in the fantastic medley of this dream 
passed the animals of the years — tlie strutting 
cock of 1912, the stolid bullock of 1913, and in 
the distance the crouching tiger of the year to 
come. Then I saw the little apes of Nikko, 
sitting motionless before me — Mizaru, who 
sees no evil, Kikazaru, who hears no evil, and 
Mazaru, who speaks no evil. Above tliem all 
flew the H-oo, the guiding bird of good omen, 
which only appears to herald the coming of 
peace and prosperity. May he bring them both 
to Japan ! 

Many times since, on looking back, it has 
seemed as if Dai Nippon must be all a dream 
— a fairy island, perhaps, conjured out of the 
sea by some mighty giant. I often wonder if 
it did not truly sink into the sea beneath the 
red eye of the setting sun. 

When I am troubled about this, I get out 
Osame's letter and read it again. It came to 
us soon after we reached home, and is very 
reassuring. In order that you, too, may know 
that Japan is real, I will let you read it. 

** Dear Excellency," he wrote L., 
^' when the first news of your coming 
to Japan announced I could not feel 
but the happiest news like from 



380 The Spell of Japan 

Heaven, and only waited the day 
might flew to your arriving date. The 
joy and happiness reached its maxi- 
mum height when I had the pleasure 
and delight of meeting you and Madam 
once more at Kharbin. Three years 
passed since your last visit and you 
and Madam had not least changed, like 
the peerless Fuji towering high above 
the clouds I wished I had power to 
show you the appreciation and grati- 
tude I always indebted to you, but it 
was vain effort. 

'' However Heaven blessed me that 
you had an interview three years ago 
with late Emperor and now again with 
His Majesty his son, we look up to 
them like a living God enthroned since 
^QQ B. c. I was so pleased. Now alas 
you passed away again from Japan at 
four o'clock on the fifteenth instant. 
As I left the ship I could not utter a 
word with the heart-rending unhappi- 
ness of parting from you. The launch 
blew the whistle thrice, and puffing out 
a great column of smoke she slowly 
moved away. I saw you fading sight 
and thanked you for your kindness of 



Sayonara dai Nippon 381 

watching me until we could not discern 
each other. And the joy and happi- 
ness rolled with the waves following 
your course. With no sign of encour- 
agement I reached shore and out the 
dream. I ran to the Post Office to 
send a cable. 

** I hope you are enjoying the best 
health and the best time. Do not for- 
get this humble Osame, always with 
you no matter what part of the planet 
you may travel, and always glad and 
feel happy to hear. 

*^ Please recommend me to one who 
come to Japan. 

** I hope I may be a little service to 
you for the rare opportunity and hon- 
our in my life. With the best wishes 
for you and Okusuma, anxiously 
awaiting to hear I remain 

*^ Your humble servant, 

** Osame Komori." 

So it ends, and so likewise, respectfully bow- 
ing, the '^ Eustic Wife '' makes her last apolo- 
gies and bids the *^ Honourable Eeader sayo- 
nara! ^* 

THE END. 



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Griffis, William teCiOT: Fairy Tales of Old Japan 

Hepburn of Japan 

Townsend Harris, First American Envoy in Japan 

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383 



384 Bibliography 



GuLiCK, Sidney L.: The American Japanese Problem 

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Menpes, Mortimer: Japan: A Record in Colour 
MiTFORD, A. B. F.: Tales of Old Japan 
Morrison, Arthur: The Painters of Japan 
NiTOBE, Inazo: Bushido: The Soul of Japan 

The Japanese Nation 

Thoughts and Essays 

Okuma, Count Shigenobu: Fifty Years of New Japan 
OzAKi, Yei Theodora: Warriors of Old Japan 
Pasteur, Violet M. : Gods and Heroes of Old Japan 
Porter, Robert P.: The Full Recognition of Japan 
Porter, William N.: A Hundred Verses from Old Japan: 

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Ransome, J. Stafford: Japan in Transition 
SciDMORE, Eliza R.: Jinrikisha Days in Japan 
Seidlitz, W. von: A History of Japanese Colour Prints 
Singleton, Esther: Japan as Seen and Described by Fa- 
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Smith, R. Gordon: Ancient Tales of Folklore of Japan 
Strange, Edward F.: The Colour Prints of Japan. (In 

Langham Series of Art Monographs) 
Terry, T. Philip: The Japanese Empire 



INDEX 



" A B C of Japanese Art," 366 

Abe, Mr., 97 

Adams, Mrs. Douglas, 234, 240 

Ainus, 35, 274, 275, 277-291 

Akasaka, 43, 73, 332, 333 

Akashi, General, 18 

Akashi Straits, 322 

Akiko, 241 

Altai Mountains, 2 

Ama-no-Hashidate, 315 

Ama-no-kagu, 238 

Ama-terasu, 34, 137 

Amaterasu-Omikami, 158 

Ambassador, American, 41, 43, 
45, 59, 81, 82, 84, 86, 87, 91, 
92; French, 90 

America, 54, 55, 58, 71, 94, 102, 
115, 124-126, 148, 172, 195, 
196, 200, 201, 205, 213, 235, 
253, 340, 357, 372; diplo- 
matic service in, 41 

American Board (of Foreign 
Missions), 207, 208 

" American Japanese Problem, 
The," 118 

Americans, 112, 117, 207 

Amida, 174, 175 

" Ancient Tales and Folklore 
of Japan," 219 



Anethan, Baroness d', 170 

Anezaki, Professor, 212 

Aoyama, 78, 79 

Arabia, 263 

Arabs, 182 

Arai, 312, 313 

Argentina, 119, 120, 122 

Arita, 372 

Amell, Mr., 260, 274 

Arnold, Mr., 260 

Arsenal Gardens, 347; (Kora- 

kuen), 348, 349 
Asaka, Prince, 75 
Asakusa Kwannon, 268 
Asano, Lord of Ako, 62, 63 
Asa-Tada, 237 
Atami, 303, 305, 314 
Atsuta, 313 
Attaches, Naval and Military, 

64, 96 
Australia, 47, 114, 263 
Austria, 96 
Ayaha Festival, 158 
Azuma-Bashi, 309 



B 



Baba, Mr., 375 

Bacon, Miss Alice M., author, 

148 
Bahu, the Eater of Dreams, 323 



385 



386 



Index 



Baikal, Lake, 3 




Buddhist, 29, 46, 166, 196, 


Bakin, 230, 364 




210, 213 


Baptists, 207 




Bushido, 164, 184-188 


Basho, epigram by, 140 






Bean Night, 147 




C 


Benquet Road, 301 






Benten, 299, 300 




Caldwell, Mrs., 58 


Benten-jima, 313 




California, 59, 114-119 , 


Bergson, 212 




Canada, 274 


*' Beyond, The," 240 




Caroling! an R, 36 


Bismarck, quoted, 37 




Catholics, Roman, 17 


Biwa, Lake, 315, 316, 363 




Central America, 114 


Bizen, 272 




Chamberlain, Professor, trans- 


Blacker, J. F., 366 




lation by, 138, 185 


Bluff, the, 261, 296 




Champ de Mars, 78 


Boardman, Miss, 16 




Changchun, 4, 5 


Boshu Peninsula, 307 




Chemulpo, 205 


Boston, 50, 71, 361; Back Bay 


Chiba, 308 


of, 50; Museum of 


Fine 


Chicago of Japan, the, 126 


Arts, 357 




Chikamatsu, 243 


Boys' Festival, 153, 336 




Chile, 119 


Brazil, 119-122 




China, 19, 20, 45, 46, 55, 112, 


Brazilians, 42 




120, 123-125, 133, 134, 156, 


British, 117; Islands, 112 




203, 209, 326, 329, 331, 349, 


Broadway, 55 




350, 352, 359, 373; suze- 


Brookline, Mass., 342 




rainty of, 12; Sea, 324 


Brownell, Mr., Ill, 226 




Chinese, 35, 141, 158, 200, 


Brownings, of Japan, 241 




329 


Brussels, last sight of, 1, 


to 


Chionin Temple, 28 


Kyoto, 3; palace in, 74 




Cho Densu, 358 


Bryan, Dr., 28, 329 




Chosen (Korea), 6, 16, 17 


Bryan, Secretary, 118 




Christianity, 201, 211, 212 


Bryn Mawr, 196 




Christians, 210, 213 


Buddha, 29, 35, 51, 61, 


142, 


Church, Roman, 184, 200 


152, 153, 174, 175, 177- 


179, 


Chuzenji, 310 


184, 297, 318, 357, 369-371, 


Clement, E. W., translator. 


373, 374 




140 


Buddhism, 160, 164, 173, 


174, 


Cleveland, 93 


184, 211, 328; in Korea 


,16 


Columbus, 133 



Index 



387 



Confucianism, 16, 211 




Elizabethan Era, 230 


Confucius, 184, 189, 329 




Embassy, American, 40, 42, 


Congregationaliflts, 207 




43, 45, 47, 52, 57, 60, 61, 64, 


Copts, 114 




65, 69, 70, 81, 93-96, 101, 


Corps, Diplomatic, 76, 77, 


80, 


143, 146, 188, 193, 274, 298, 


90, 171 




346; Itahan, 52 


Court (Imperial), 52, 64, 


74, 


Emperor, the present, 24, 35, 


75, 76, 80, 97, 239; of St. 


50, 01, 64, 68, 70-76, 79, 80, 


James, 76; Shogun's, 142 


84, 99, 161, 177, 261, 380 


Crawford, Marion, 96 




Empress, the present, 69, 72, 


Crown Prince, 50, 74 




75, 76, 79, 81, 375, 376; 
Dowager, 79, 95, 205, 206 


D 




Engineering College, 197 
England, 97, 124, 255, 330 


Daiba Pass, 305 




Enoshima, 293, 299, 300, 303 


Dai Butsu, 29, 317 




Episcopalians, 207 


Daini-No-Sammi, 238 




Eucken, 212 


Dakota, 308 




Europe, 85, 91, 96, 116, 120- 


Dalny, 13 




122, 125, 126, 130, 134, 200, 


Dango-zaka, 330 




253, 357, 363 


Danjuro, 253, 254 




Europeans, 48, 116, 120, 339 


Daredesuka, 226-228 






Davis, F. Hadland, author, 


F 


219 






Dick, 46 




" Fairy Tales of Old Japan," 


Dickinson, Mr., 80; Mrs., 


81 


215 


Diet, 98, 99, 101 




Feast of the Oven, 162 


Dolls' Festival, 147-150 




Fenner, Mr. J. A., 274, 277, 


Doshisha University, 210 




287, 288 


Dutch, 42, 243, 363 




Festival of the Dead, 157 

" Fighting Spirit of Japan, 


E 




The," quoted, 211, 267 
Fire-God, 296 


Eastern Capital, 36 




Florin, 118 


East River of Heaven, 156 




Formosa, 13, 19, 114, 133, 206, 


Ebisu, 160 




243; description of, 19-22 


Egypt, 329, 330 




Forty-Seven Ronins, 61-63, 


Eighty Myriads of Gods, 


137 


185, 243, 245, 256 


Eikibo, 226-228 




Fox Temple Festival, 146 



388 



Index 



France, 241, 330 


Guiccioli, Marchesa, 90 


Freer (collection), 357 


Gulick, Dr. Sidney L., quoted, 


French, 42 


118 


Ferrero, Guglielmo, 119 


H 


Fuigo Matsuri, 161 




Fuji, 4, 20, 183, 299, 300, 


Hachiro Tametomo, 219-226 


302, 339, 340, 359, 364, 378, 


Hakone, 302; Pass, 296; Range, 


380 


302 


Fukuroi, 312 


Haky-i and Shiky-sei, 349 


Fukushima, 311 


Hamano, 308; Lagoon, 312 


Fushimi, Prince, 71; (Higashi), 


Harashiyawa, 316 


76; Princess, 76 


Harikiku, 247 




Harima, 319 


G 


Harris, Mr. Townsend, 84-89 




Harrison, Mr. E. J., author. 


Gare du Nord, 1 


211, 212, 266 


Genro, 99 


Hawaii, 113 


" Gentlemen's Agreement," 


Hearn (Lafcadio), quoted, 83, 


115 


151, 173, 234, 235; referred 


Germany, 55, 100, 124, 203 


to, 103, 168 


Ghosts of the Circle of Pen- 


Hepburn, Dr., 203, 209 


ance, 157 


Heusken, Mr., 87, 88 


Gifu, 314 


Hideyoshi, 29 


Ginza, the, 55 


Himeji, 355 


Gion Festival, 154 


Hindoos, 182 


Go-chiku, 30 


Hirado, 324 


God of Long Breath, 301 


Hiroshige, 363 


Gordon, Dr., 105 


Hiroshima, 322 


Gosho Palace, 29, 32 


Hokkaido, 35, 274, 275, 285, 


Gotimba, 303, 314 


292, 320 


Grand Hotel, 376 


Hokusai, 359, 364 


Great Bell, Kyoto, 29 


Holland, 296, 346 


Great Britain, 124 


Hongwanji, Eastern and West- 


Great Council, 87 


ern, 29; Eastern, 175; Gar- 


Greece, 243, 255 


den, 178 


Greeks, 118, 184, 356 


Honolulu, 207 


Greene, Rev. Dr., 208, 212 


H-oo, 379 


Griffis, Dr. W. E., quoted, 185, 


Horikawa, Lady, 238 


215 


Hosigaoko (in Sanno), 271 



Index 



389 



Horse Day, 146 




J 


Household, Imperial, 72 






Hudson, the, 322 




Jaehne, 45 


Hyde, Miss, 51 




Japan Club of Harvard Uni- 


Hyogo (Kobe), 127,319; Point, 


versity, 14 


322 




" Japanese Empire, The," 27 


I 




" Japanese Girls and Women," 
quoted, 148-150 


Ichinomiya, 308 




" Japanese Nation, The," 189 


Ichiriki Tea-house, 245 




Japan Magazine, 115, 240, 303, 


Icliejo-Tadado, 79 




329 


Ike-hana, 336-338, 345 




Jesuit, 37 


Ikega,mi, 160 




Jew, 119 


Ikko, 174, 175 




Jimmu Tenno, 35, 235 


Imari, 272 




Jingo, Empress, 36, 163 


Imazu, 315 




'' Jinrikisha Days," 16, 244 


Imperial University, 197, 


212; 


Jito, Empress, 238 


Theatre, 251, 252; Museum, 


Jizo, 172, 173, 352 


368 




Johnson, Governor, 118 


Inada, Princess, 154 




Jokusai, lizuka, and Saiihara- 


Inage, 308 




Ichidayu, 368 


India, 124, 200, 328; Southern, 




174 




K 


Indians 118 






Inland, Sea, 35, 155, 183 


294, 


Kadenokuji and Kiogo, Vis- 


320-324, 339, 363 




counts, 271 


Ippo, 359 




Kagawa, Countess, 82 


Irving, Henry, 254 




Kaka, 173 


Ise, Temple of, 4, 84; shrine 


Kai, 333 


of, 34, 167, 168, 183 




Kamakura, 251, 293, 296-299, 


Itahans, 47, 118, 119 




369 


Italy, 96 




Kamazawa, 316 


Ito, Prince, 83, 98, 99 




Kameido, 328 


Itsukushima, 155 




Kameoka, 315 


lyeyasu, Tokugawa, 37, 


180; 


Kamisana, 321 


Precepts of, 182 




Kanagawa, 203 


Izanagi, 34, 113 




Kanaoka, 357, 358 


Izanami, 34, 113 




Kan-chiku, 30 


Izumo, 159 




Kaneko, Baron, 14 



390 



Index 



Kanemori Taira, 237 




11; Empress Bin of, 11; his- 


Kan-in, Prince and Princess, 


tory of, 12-15; rehgions, 16; 


71,75 




missions, 17, 18; Crown 


Kano, 314; School, 358 




Prince of, 259; southern, 


Katsura, Prince, 71, 97, 


99, 


18, 19 


100 




Koreans, 35, 200, 259, 315 


Katsu-ura, 308 




Koro Halcho, 320 


Kawamori, 315 




Kosai Maru, 206 


Keane, Mr., 361 




Koshiro Matsumoto, 254 


Kengyu (Aquila), 156 




Koya-san, 183 


Keum-Kang-San, peaks of 


, 16 


Kozo Ozaki, 230 


Keyser, Lieutenant, 274, 


277, 


Kozu, 303, 312, 314 


278, 280, 281, 287, 288 




Kumamoto, 355 


Kharbin, 3, 5, 13, 380 




Kushiro, 274, 275, 277 


Kiai, 186 




Kutani and Awada, 372 


Kido, 190 




Kutchare, Lake, 277 


Kii, 320 




Kwannon, 297, 298, 318, 369, 


Kikugoro, 253 




370 


Kinokiyama, 315 




Kyoka Izumi, 231 


Kira, 62, 63 




Kyoto, 23, 24, 27, 34, 36, 39, 


Kishu, Prince, 333 




40, 44, 154, 162, 175, 215, 


Kiyomisu, 349 




217, 218, 237, 293, 299, 311, 


Kiyomori, 220 




314-316, 318, 319, 349, 372; 


Kiyonaga, 362 




Brussels to, 3; description 


Kiyonobu, 362 




of, 28; prefecture, 33; geishas 


Kitzuki, 167, 168, 254 




of, 245, 248 


Knox, Mr., 26 




Kyushu, 221, 324, 355 


Kobe, 123, 126, 293, 318-321 




Kodama, Countess, 16; Count, 

1 o 


L 


Kofukuji, 373 




Lancers, Imperial, 64, 78 


Kojin, 152 




Landsborough, Mr., 118 


Kompira, 184 




'' Latin-American A-B-C," 119 


Komura, Baron, 14 




Laughing Festival of Wasa, 


Konosu (Hyaku Ana), 307 




159, 160 


Korea, 1, 3, 6, 10, 21, 36, 


114, 


Liaotung Peninsula, 13 


133, 163, 198, 315, : 


371; 


London, 59, 76 


mourning in, 7; dethroned 


Loochoo Islands, 132, 364 


Emperor and Empress 


of, 


Los Angeles Times, 119 



Index 



391 



Lucky Day, the, 146 




Middle Ages, 133 


Luther of Japan, the, 160 




Mikado, the, 25, 34r-37, 39, 65, 
81-84, 97, 98, 332 


M 




Milky Way, 156 
Ming Tombs, 36 


MacCauley, Rev. Dr., 207 


Mishima, 302, 305 


Madonna, 298 




Misogi, Festival of the, 155 


Maiko, 319 




Miwa-Daimyo-jin, 159, 160 


Maisaka, 312 




Miyajima, 155, 183, 323 


Makino, Baron, 80 




Miyanoshita, 296, 299, 301, 


Malay Peninsula, 114 




302, 305, 310 


Malays, in Formosa, 21 




Miyazu, 315 


Manazuru, 303 




Mizaru, Kilcazaru, and Ma- 


Manchuria, 3, 5, 13-15, 


114, 


zaru, 379 


134 




Moji, 324 


Maple-Lcaf Club, 250 




Momoyama, 24 


Masanobu, 362 




Mon (entrance gate), 11 


Massachusetts, 101 




Mongols, 2 


Masumi Hino, Professor, 


210, 


Moon Festival, 158 


211 




Moronobu, 359, 362 


Matabei, 361 




Morrison, Mr. Arthur, quoted, 


Matsui, Mr., 375 




366 


Matsushima, 311, 320 




Morrison, Mt., 19; renamed 


Mayon, 300 




Niitaka-yama, 20 


McKim, Bishop, 206 




Moscow, 2, 3 


Meiji Era, 98, 201, 237 




Mound of Ears, 314 


Meiji Tenno, 24, 39, 82, 


234, 


Mukden, 14 


240. 




Murray, 268 


Memorial Temple, 25 




Mutsuhito, Emperor, 24, 27, 


Mencius, 189 




79; tomb of, 24 


Menpes, Mortimer, 350 




" My People," 28 


Mera, 308 




" M3^ths and Legends of 


"Merchant of Venice, The," 


Japan," 219 


260 






Meredith, George, 231 




N 


Mexicans, 118 






Mexico, City of, 96 




Nagahama, 316 


Michel Angelo, work of, 356 


Nagasaki, 38, 123, 321, 324 


Michinoku, 237 




Nagasalds, the, 75, 375 



392 



Index 



Nagoya, 34, 227, 228, 313, 

314; Castle, 227, 355 
Nakamura, 272 
Nakamuraza, Theatre, 254 
Nakasendo, 314 
Nara, 155, 316-318, 341, 357, 

368, 369 
Narai, 309 
Narita, 309 

Naturalistic School, 359 
Navetta, 321 
Nazano, 320 
Negishi, 262 
New Year, 136, 138, 140-144, 

146 
New York, 119, 122 
Nichiren, 160, 308 
Night, Queen of the, 158 
Nijo Castle, 32 
Nikko, 71, 180, 182, 293, 310, 

318, 349, 353, 379 
Ninigi, 34, 35 
Ninsei, 372 
Ni-o, 166 

Nippon Race Club, 261 
Nirvana, 178, 298 
Nitobe, Dr., 95, 165, 189, 231 
No, 242, 243, 270, 271 
Nogi, General, 13, 14, 171, 

185, 188, 196 
Nomura, 372 
Northmen, 235 
Norway, 119 
Nowazu, 79 



Oanamochi, 301 
Obama, 315 



Obi River, 2 

O'Brien, Mrs., 82 

Odawara, 303 

Ogo-Harito, 320 

Oishi, 63, 245 

Okio, 359 

Okubo, 99, 190 

Okuma, Count, 78, 99, 208 

O Kuni, 254, 255 

Onomichi, 322 

Order of the Rising Sun, Third 

Class of the, 209; First Class 

of the, 376 
Osaka, 126, 215, 217-219, 264, 

313, 318, 319, 354, 355 
Osaka Museum, 61 
Osaki Batsume, 231 
Osame Komori, 4, 5, 56, 74, 94, 

298, 299, 306, 314, 379, 381 
O Sawa, 46 
Oshima, 224, 225 
Otome-Toge, 302 
Otsu, 316 
Ozaki, Madame, 96, 97, 214, 

219, 373; Mr., 96, 99, 100 



Panama Canal, 112, 122 

Paris, 78, 95, 241, 363 

Pasteur, 214 

Peabody, Professor, quoted, 
114 

Peace Society, Japanese, 95, 96 

Peking, 359; palace in, 11 

Peony Hall, 69, 70 

Perry, Commodore, 38, 97; re- 
ception, 331 

Pescadores, 13 



Index 



393 



Philadelphia, 196 


Saghahen, 15, 19 


Phihppines, 46, 59, 80, 114, 


Saigo, 355 


207, 300, 301 


Saikyo (Kyoto), 28 


Phoenix Hall, 68 


Sai-no-Kawara, 173 


Port Arthur, 13, 14, 15, 206 


Sakai, Mr., 375 


Porter, William, translator. 


Sakatani, Baron, 213 


237, 238 


Sakon-No-Sakura, 31 


Portsmouth, N. H., treaty 


Salvation Army, 268 


signed at, 14 


Samba (Ikku), 243 


Portugal, 121 


Sammons, Mr. and Mrs., 37G, 


Portuguese, 37 


377 


Presbyterians, 207 


Sandalphon, 176 


President of the United States, 


San Francisco, 122, 190 


38, 85, 87 


San Joaquin, 118 


" Priest, The," 241 


Sankei, 311, 315, 323 


Protestantism (of Japan), 174, 


Satsuma, 35; Lord of, 132; 


201 


province of, 197; ware, 372 


R 


Scidmore, Consul-General, 9; 




Miss, 16, 244 


Rainier, Mount, 300 


Secretaries, 64 


Red Cross, 16, 205, 206 


Secretary, First, 43; First Jap- 


Reese, Mr., 118 


anese, 43; of War, American, 


Rehgion, Japanese Bureau of. 


59, 80, 81 


209 


Seiryoden, 30 


Riddell, Miss, 204 


^ Sengen, 301 


Rohan Koda, 231 


Seno, Madame (the Japanese 


Rokumeikan, 78 


Hetty Green), 110 


Romans, 184 


Seoul, 3, 18, 22 


Rome, 119 


Seoul, arrival in, 9; American 


Room of One Thousand Seeds, 


colony in, 17 


70, 72 


Sesshiu, 359 


Russia, 96, 123, 205; negotia- 


Seto (porcelain), 372 


tions with, 14; furs in, 55 


Seven Gods of Good Fortune, 


Russo-Japanese War, 19, 126 


142 




Seyukai, 99 


S 


Shakespeare, of Japan, 243 




Shamanism, 16 


Sada Yakko, Madame, 253 


Shanghai, 209 


Sadanji, 254 


Sharaku, 363 



394 



Index 



Shari, 277 


South America, 113, 119, 120, 


Shiba, Park, 60, 158, 347; 


122 


Temples, 60 


Southern Cross, 20 


Shi jo Road, 154 


Spain, 263 


Shimoda, 85 


Spalding, Mr. William, 361, 


Shimonoseki, treaty of, 13 


362 


Straits of, 14; Chosen to, 22; 


Staff, American Embassy, 40, 


shrine in, 163; passed, 324 


51, 58, 64, 68, 143 


Shimono-Suwa, 309 


Stars, Festival of the, 155 


Shinano, Prince of, 87 


State Department, 86 


Shinji, Lake, 320 


St. Valentine's Day, 94 


Shinmei Feast, 158 


Suchi, 315 


Shin-Maizuru, 315 


Suez Canal, 122 


Shinto, 25, 26, 142, 163-170, 


Sujin, 36 


184, 210 


Sun-Goddess, 34, 36, 66, 137, 


Shintoists, 210, 213 


167, 183 


Shiojiri Toge, 309 


Susa-no-o, 137 


Shishinden, 30 


Susa-no-o-no-mikoto, Prince, 


Shizuoka, 312 


154 


Shogun, 32, 38, 60, 62, 85-88, 


Swift, Professor, 193 


97, 243, 286, 331, 362 


Syrians, 114 


Shokonsha, 161 




Shunsho, 364 


T 


Siberia, 2, 69 




Siberian Express, 2 


Taiken, Empress, 238 


Sierras, CaHfornian, 3 


Tai-kun, 87, 88 


Smith, R. Gordon, 219 


Tai-Sho, 24 


Soami and Enshiu, 341 


Takahama, 315 


Societies, Asiatic and Colum- 


Takasu, 239 


bia, 101, 376 


Takeda Izuma, 243 


Society of Universal Love, 205; 


Tanabata, Princess, 156 


Asiatic, 208 


Tateyama, 308 


Sodesuka, Mrs., Ill 


Temma, river, 355 


Soi-ko, 349 


Tennu, Emperor, 238 


Sojuro and Sawamura, 254 


Terauchi, Count, 15 


Sonnomiya, Baroness, 95 


Terry, author, 27 


Sonobe, 315 


Teshikaga, 276 


Sosen, 359 


Testevinde, Father, 203 


Sosei, author, 32V 


Teusler, Dr., 204 



Index 



395 



Thanksgiving (Japanese), 1G2 
"Theft of the Golden Scale, 
The," 226 

Throne Room, 72, 76 

Toda, Count, 67 

Togo, Admiral, 13, 14 

Tokaido, 86, 286, 299, 313, 
314, 363, 364 

Tokugawa, House of, 39; fam- 
ily, 61; government, 97; Pe- 
riod, 37, 38, 188, 200, 201, 
372; Prince (Reiki), 38, 39 

Tokyo, 26, 27, 33, 36, 39, 40, 
42, 43, 51, 55, 59, 60, 62, 
65, 77, 78, 85, 90, 91, 94, 
102, 110, 115, 126-128, 132, 
138, 141, 158, 160, 161, 170, 
171, 192, 193, 197, 204, 206, 
212, 213, 231, 250, 251, 254, 
258, 262, 265, 267, 272, 275, 
285, 290, 291, 294, 299, 305, 
306, 307-314, 329, 347, 348, 
364, 368; Bay, 308; London 
to, 3; Boys' Guild of, 46; 
climate of, 50; Club, 101, 
102; Normal School, 188, 
193; University, 197 

Tomiji and Kanoko (maikos), 
247 

Torakichi Inouye, 128 

Torii Toge, 309 

Tosa, 358 

Toyohashi, 313 

Toyokuni, 363 

Trans-Siberian, 2 

" Travels of the Two Frogs, 
The," 215 

Treasure Ship, 142 

Tsuda, Miss, 195, 196 



Tsukiji, 42 

Tsure Yuki Kino, 239 
Tsuruzo, 254 
Turkey, 96 

U 

Ukioye, 359, 362, 364 
Ukon-No-Tachibana, 31 
United States, 40, 59, 94, 115- 

117, 122-124 
Ural Mountains, 2 
Utamaro, 362, 363 
" Utopia," More's, 229 
Utsunomiya, 310 
Uyeno Park, 61, 146, 262 
Uzume-no-Mikoto (Okame), 

367 



Vandyke, 364 
Van Royen, Madame, 58 
Vega (star), 156 
Venice, of Japan, 318 
Vienna, 41, 313 
Vladivostok, 3, 22 
Vries Island, 303, 308 

W 

Wadagaki, Prof. K., transla- 
tor, 182 
Wakamegari-no Shinji, 163 
Wakamiya, 318 
Wallace, Rev. Dr., 207 
" Warriors of Old Japan," 219 
Waseda, 192 
Washington, 50, 138, 340 



396 


Index 


Washington's Birthday, 


94, 


Yamisaki, 174 


340 




Yedo, 36, 85, 86, 252, 351; 


Watanabe, 46, 48, 94, 95, 


148, 


Bay of, 361 


340 




Yezo, 35 


Watanabe, Count, 67 




Yi, Prince, the Elder, 12; 


Western Capital, 36 




Prince, the Younger, 12; 


West River, 156 




dynasty, 12 


Whistler, 364 




Yokohama, 90, 93, 94, 101, 


Wigmore, Major, 274, 276, 277, 


207, 209, 259, 261, 262, 293- 


287, 288 




296, 302, 305, 319, 361, 376; 
United (club), 101; Bund, 


X 




303, 361 
Yorimasa, 153 


Xavier, Francis, 200 




Yosai, 360 
Yosano, 241 


Y 




Yoshida, Professor, 197; Mr., 
375 


Yahakii, 320 




Yoshitomo, 220, 223, 224 


Yahashira, Prince, 154 




Yoshiwara, 267 


Yalu River, 13, 14, 100 




Yuragawa, 315 


Yamagata, met at luncheon. 




13 




Z 


Yamamoto, 99, 100 






Yamato, 191 




Zen, 186, 187 



